Fire department lets house burn down and pets die because they didn't get a $75 fine

Firefighters in rural Tennessee let a home burn to the ground last week because the homeowner hadn't paid a $75 fee.

Gene Cranick of Obion County and his family lost all of their possessions in the Sept. 29 fire, along with three dogs and a cat.

"They could have been saved if they had put water on it, but they didn't do it," Cranick told MSNBC's Keith Olbermann.

The fire started when the Cranicks' grandson was burning trash near the family home. As it grew out of control, the Cranicks called 911, but the fire department from the nearby city of South Fulton would not respond.

"We wasn't on their list," he said the operators told him.

Cranick, who lives outside the city limits, admits he "forgot" to pay the annual $75 fee. The county does not have a county-wide firefighting service, but South Fulton offers fire coverage to rural residents for a fee.

Cranick says he told the operator he would pay whatever is necessary to have the fire put out.

His offer wasn't accepted, he said.

The fire fee policy dates back 20 or so years.

"Anybody that's not inside the city limits of South Fulton, it's a service we offer. Either they accept it or they don't," said South Fulton Mayor David Crocker.

Firefighters did eventually show up, but only to fight the fire on the neighboring property, whose owner had paid the fee.

"They put water out on the fence line out here. They never said nothing to me. Never acknowledged. They stood out here and watched it burn," Cranick said.

South Fulton's mayor said that the fire department can't let homeowners pay the fee on the spot, because the only people who would pay would be those whose homes are on fire.

Cranick, who is now living in a trailer on his property, says his insurance policy will help cover some of his lost home.

"Insurance is going to pay for what money I had on the policy, looks like. But like everything else, I didn't have enough."

After the blaze, South Fulton police arrested one of Cranick's sons, Timothy Allen Cranick, on an aggravated assault charge, according to WPSD-TV, an NBC station in Paducah, Ky.

Police told WPSD that the younger Cranick attacked Fire Chief David Wilds at the firehouse because he was upset his father's house was allowed to burn.

WPSD-TV reported that Wilds was treated and released.

Supernova wrote:Indeeeed, I can't believe people justify this, 'you're supposed to pay a fee, if you don't, oh well'. I know that's how doctors do 'no money? No insurance, then you can just die *unplug*', and for some reason people think that's acceptable. But if the police started saying 'If you want me to arrest the guy who threatened to kill your children, you need to give me $100 for the services', there would be a public outrage, riots, everything...but firemen do it, they say 'your life isn't worth it if we don't get a few bucks', and people think that's alright?


Kind of reminds me of that movie Repo Men, I didn't see it but I remember it, it's all part of the job, it doesn't matter who dies or how many lives are ruined, until YOU'RE the one who can't pay.

alan smithee wrote:

I shit you not I was going to post this tag line on the "Can you name this movie?" thread:

"A repo man is always intense... but only a fool gets killed for a car."

alan smithee wrote:I didn't notice you said Repo Men, not Repo Man. Didn't men come out this year?