No Fee Paid -- No fire department help

[enfuego]

First things first:

Legal? Yes
Moral/Ethical? NO
FD? Wrong decision

The point is that FD's cost money-and the elected officials of that county DO NOT WANT to fund a FD and haven't for years. THEY DO NOT WANT A TAX FUNDED FIRE DEPARTMENT and apparently the taxpayers don't either-at least not as a whole, otherwise, they would tell their elected officials "yes". But it's "no".

Word is that the Fire Chiefs of Obion County have worked for many years to offer the county elected folks a proposal of a fire tax or have them just fund the 8 municipality fire departments, a reported $360,000 total, to provide ALL residences of the unincorporated areas of the county, a fire service. However the elected county commission refuses to force a tax on their citizens. It was learned that the homeowner (who lost his house) was sent 3 letters reminding him of his fire dues, and after that they called him 3 times and each time he said he would pay, but after the third phone call the FD dropped his name off the list. They still should have put it out. Of course, little did we (us) know that the FD subscription was set up 20 years ago because someone's house outside a city limits burned, and the city wanted to provide service to those residences (where there is no other fire service) so the subscription service was started to actually help. City taxpayers did not want to fund a free FD for non-taxpaying residents, outside their city. No one does.

If a FD shows up at or near a fire, put it out!

The Fire Chiefs of Obion County have worked for many years to offer the county elected folks a proposal of a fire tax or have them just fund the 8 municipality fire departments, a reported $360,000 total, to provide ALL residences of the unincorporated areas of the county, a fire service. However the elected county commission refuses to force a tax on their citizens.
If the residents care, they need to speak up, vote, join up or never forget to subscribe. Fire departments cost money, career or volunteer and those who want a FD need to pay, one way or the other.

Again, bad decision by the FD based on an archaic rule made by bureaucrats. Helping others is a core value.

 

[Bob Wells]

I don't see how that in any way fits in to the discussion.

Cops just stood by as businesses were looted and businesses were burned

 

[GoodWitch58]

First things first:

Legal? Yes
Moral/Ethical? NO
FD? Wrong decision

The point is that FD's cost money-and the elected officials of that county DO NOT WANT to fund a FD and haven't for years. THEY DO NOT WANT A TAX FUNDED FIRE DEPARTMENT and apparently the taxpayers don't either-at least not as a whole, otherwise, they would tell their elected officials "yes". But it's "no".

Word is that the Fire Chiefs of Obion County have worked for many years to offer the county elected folks a proposal of a fire tax or have them just fund the 8 municipality fire departments, a reported $360,000 total, to provide ALL residences of the unincorporated areas of the county, a fire service. However the elected county commission refuses to force a tax on their citizens. It was learned that the homeowner (who lost his house) was sent 3 letters reminding him of his fire dues, and after that they called him 3 times and each time he said he would pay, but after the third phone call the FD dropped his name off the list. They still should have put it out. Of course, little did we (us) know that the FD subscription was set up 20 years ago because someone's house outside a city limits burned, and the city wanted to provide service to those residences (where there is no other fire service) so the subscription service was started to actually help. City taxpayers did not want to fund a free FD for non-taxpaying residents, outside their city. No one does.

If a FD shows up at or near a fire, put it out!

The Fire Chiefs of Obion County have worked for many years to offer the county elected folks a proposal of a fire tax or have them just fund the 8 municipality fire departments, a reported $360,000 total, to provide ALL residences of the unincorporated areas of the county, a fire service. However the elected county commission refuses to force a tax on their citizens.
If the residents care, they need to speak up, vote, join up or never forget to subscribe. Fire departments cost money, career or volunteer and those who want a FD need to pay, one way or the other.

Again, bad decision by the FD based on an archaic rule made by bureaucrats. Helping others is a core value.

This, "Helping Others is a Core Value" was at the heart of my thoughts about this issue. No one wants people to ignore or refuse to pay taxes or fees, or whatever...however, regardless of what the homeowner did or did not do; the FD and the elected officials and the neighbors, had a moral obligation to help in a society that values helping those in need. From the interviews I saw, it seems the neighbors helped with garden hoses; and offered to pay whatever was necessary. It was the elected officials who refused to let the firefighters save the man's house.

In my lifetime, we in the United States have generally believed and acted upon, helping people: our neighbors, strangers, and people in other lands, as a "core value". (We even have laws (Good Samaritan) to protect one who helps another. And, from what you say, years ago, this very rule was begun in an effort to help; but, something has gone wrong with that intention, if this is the result.)

This incident in Tennessee is an extreme example of how those core values seem to be slipping away. Other examples appear though, often in subtle, but definite ways. We see it in the trend toward lack of common civility; in lack of compassion for others less fortunate; and in the real numbers of donations dropping.

I think this incident will make an excellent scenario for Ethics class. I will be quite interested to see how the students respond to it.

 

[LuciferSam]

Cops just stood by as businesses were looted and businesses were burned

I see what you're saying, but it wasn't over jurisdictional issues (I don't think). It seemed more like a combination of fear, apathy, and being overwhelmed. Yes those sorts of things do happen and it's terrible.