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Tennessee Man Gets $19,000 Bill for Firefighting Operations
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - A Knox County man whose house caught fire in January has received a $19,000 firefighting bill.
WVLT-TV reported Chris Curl was flabberghasted at the charge, but Rural/Metro Fire Chief Jerry Harnish says such charges are common.
The station reported Curl lives outside Knoxville city limits. The company contracts for emergency services within the city. People who live outside of it can subscribe for fire protection, but Curl said he had no idea he had to pay for it.
Rural/Metro says it responds to calls from non-subscribers as a matter of public safety.
Insurance covers fire damage to Curl's home, but not the bill for firefighting.
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Information from: WVLT-TV, http://www.volunteertv.com/
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
WVLT-TV reported Chris Curl was flabberghasted at the charge, but Rural/Metro Fire Chief Jerry Harnish says such charges are common.
The station reported Curl lives outside Knoxville city limits. The company contracts for emergency services within the city. People who live outside of it can subscribe for fire protection, but Curl said he had no idea he had to pay for it.
Rural/Metro says it responds to calls from non-subscribers as a matter of public safety.
Insurance covers fire damage to Curl's home, but not the bill for firefighting.
___
Information from: WVLT-TV, http://www.volunteertv.com/
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Brian Dumser on
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Don't pay it! What are they gonna do, re-light your house on fire?
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Permalink Reply by Brian Mackie on
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They might! lol oh wait.. thats in Pennsylvania.. not Tennesseee.
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Permalink Reply by Roy Walker on
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SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE POLITICAL END METHINKS. This policy can end with delayed calls and lives lost. A fine if someone is found at fault MAY be warranted but that would be a matter out of the departments hands.
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Permalink Reply by John Crabbe on
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I would agree with something wrong on the political end, especially the jurisdiction of which this person lives and even the people that live there. If the community does not have its own fire protection, then they should contract with another department and as such people pay for the service through taxes, fees, or whatever. In this case, it seems that the people may have the option to pay for such protection or not and this is what happens when the dollar is thought about vs safety. The FD has an obligation to respond for a public safety standpoint, but if the person is not paying for the service, then expect to front the cost of the service.
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Permalink Reply by Ben Waller on
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When the FD receives almost no local tax funding but is responsible for a big, urban county, they have three real options:
1) Subscriptions that help fund the FD and help the homeowner/business owner reduce his/her fire insurance premiums
2) Bill for services to non-subscribers AFTER the fire is extinguished, as happened in the Knox County case.
3) Go out of business and have no fire protection at all.
Rural/Metro is a private, for-profit department. Does anyone really think that going out of business or giving away services for free is an option for their business model?
It's not a business/service provision model that would work in most places, but it's a fact of life in Knox County.
Apparently, the service model is not adequately advertised to those who have recently moved into the unincorporated areas of that county.
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Jeff, the bill was not sent until after the fire was extinguished.
What you describe is extortion. What Rural/Metro does is a business model. That model isn't popular in many places, but it's what Knox County chose several years ago. Until the county voters help choose another model, it's what they will continue to have.
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Permalink Reply by GARY HANSON on
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This might wake up some voters. HEH? But hey - -why not give the guy a chance to subscribe retroactively? Where the f/d did very wrong, is to respond to a non subscriber, or at least advise that that individual that there is a fee if the home is not subscribed.
OH YES it seems like extortion to me. . .
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How is a "for profit" f/d bonded? Are they legally responsible for malfeasance or poor performance? Do they have the authority to enter private land/residences? Are they totally subsidized by subscriptions? I doubt that considering the cost to maintain a completely staffed fire department. I have a big problem with that whole concept.
P.S. Consider this - - what if - - needing some revenue, the business manager sends one of the employees (?paid f/fs) to set a fire, then the "for - profit" department can roar up, and without asking, put it out. Later then they charge the property owner for coming put it out? Not too far fetched ? I smell rat either way.
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Permalink Reply by ZAKMAN on
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What are we in the days of Ben Franklin in 1752, what if You don't pay the fire dept. I guess no one shows up! What there no funded by the state, city,village or tax payers.
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What there no funded by the state, city,village or tax payers.
Sounds basically just that. The community this person lived in may not have contracted with the dept, instead leaving that up to the individual, hence lower taxes.....but you also get what you pay for too.
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Permalink Reply by Oldman on
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I am curious.
How is this any different (other than the obvious $ amount) than Rural Metro contracting to provide EMS to an town. They still bill for their services, and sell subscriptions to subsidize operations in the outlaying areas.
AMR is also a for profit corporation which provides EMS operations in many areas. The only time we hear about them in the news is when they don't provide the coverage as promised, or fail to meet their response times.
I'm not a fan of this type of operation, but it is done in many areas of the country. And the places where they provide fire protection apparently don't have much of an issue with it. To my knowledge, the men and women employed as medics and firefighters have the same training as any other paid department.
$19,000 dollars may sound extravagant. But if one looks at the operation cost of a $300,000 pumper plus the crew, vs the operation cost of a $90,000 ambulance, it doesn't take a math major to come to the conclusion of which side has the higher overhead. Was this an extremely large house where it would take more apparatus and manpower to extinguish?
It kinda reminds me of an old oil commercial that ended with; "You can pay me now, or pay me later." Even volunteer departments have cost they must cover. Somebody has to pay one way or the other.
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The subscription must be paid in advance, or it's not a subscription. The subscription gives you unlimited services for a year at no additional charge.
It's a perfectly legal business model.
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