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Click here & scroll down for our previous coverage of the subscription fire service in South Fulton & Obion County
Just when it looked like there was progress in Obion County, Tennessee there appears to be a major step backward, once again making firefighters the responsible party for bad policy. Obion County, as many of you know, does not have its own fire protection but relies on municipal departments that respond into the county to reported fires at the homes of residents who have paid a $75 subscription fee or on all fires where there is a report of someone trapped.
It was one of those municipal departments , South Fulton, that twice made international news when firefighters did not extinguish the burning homes of two non-subscribers in a 13-month period. After really bad publicity from both cases, that even brought death threats to firefighters, South Fulton changed its policy in March (see video below). The firefighters will now respond to all reported fires in the portion of Obion County it handles and bill non-subscribers $3500 for the response. Not a perfect system, but a step in the direction of taking firefighters out of the middle and not putting them in a position of sitting and watching a home burn.
But Obion County, which has long ignored the local fire chiefs and their plea to institute some sort of fire tax, has now made a change in its agreements with the municipal departments. It addresses two points that STATter911.com and our readers brought up when we first told you about this issue in October 2010. Essentially, the latest issue is about the reliability of the information flow. How do you know for sure if someone is trapped or not if you don’t respond and how reliable is the list of subscribers administered by Obion County?
We have asked on numerous occaisions of those who have disagreed with our position which government agency they trust to be 100 percent accurate in its paperwork and data when you have to make a respond or don’t repond decision? Obion County has the solution in its new agreement. They want firefighters to be on the hook if the information is wrong.
Regardless of whether the homeowner paid the fee, firefighters will respond if someone’s trapped inside. The fear is, what if someone’s inside, no one knows and that person dies?
Another common concern is the database of subscribers. What if by mistake someone who paid the fee is left out and firefighters let the home burn?
Folks in Obion county said both scenarios are very real and very scary.
(Town of Obion Chief Jamie) Evans said he’s required to check the computer database before responding to a county fire. While he’s not responsible for putting names in the database, he fears under the new county contract, he would be responsible if someone’s left out.
“I can’t edit it,” Evans said. “I can’t do anything but access and look at it, so I really don’t think it should be my responsibility to take the blame.”
According to WPSD-TV, Obion County officials had told the chiefs that if there is a time more than 70 percent of county residents became fire protection subscribers they would call for a special election to determine if there should be a fire tax. Chief Evans says it has reached that point. No word yet on the election.
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Also on STATter911 …
- Obion City, TN firefighter speaks out against county ‘pay for spray’. Says name confusion has people making death threats against his department. – December 8, 2011
- Local chief gives update on Obion County, TN ‘pay for spray’ policy. Union City’s Kelly Edmison says tax is cheaper than subscription, – December 9, 2011
- South Fulton, Tennessee’s Fire Department makes news after watching another house burn. ‘Pay for spray’ subscription policy in Obion County brings more heat for firefighters. – December 6, 2011
- ‘Pay for spray’ update: Tennessee’s South Fulton FD says it was not on scene of controversial fire. Local chief says Kentucky company got close but had no authority to act. – December 9, 2011
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Blanket party to Obion county Tenn, my god how can you do what these people are doing?? Chief Evens I got news for you,, I would take the fallout from the dumb ass county officials before seeing the civilians that I took an oath to protect lose anything, bad news you are on the hook no matter what. You will never go to jail if you do the right thing in saving a life in a fire.
What a bunch of backwoods as$hole politicians!
If the people of Obion County would simply get a clue and pony up, we wouldn’t have to read these stories any more. Pretty much everybody in the country already “pays for spray” each year in their property taxes. Why should these folks be any different. You want the service (which they do, if their house is on fire), pay up.
The firefighters are between a rock and a hard place. If they don’t respond, they’re ogres, and if they do – and the homeowner hasn’t paid up – nobody else will pay up either.
The solution is simple – make EVERYBODY pay, regardless.
Rural Metro Fire (private fore profit fire department) recently absorbed the Heiskell VFD near Knoxville TN – maybe Rural Metro Fire could move into Obion County and staff all the stations with paid crewmen
Ummm, if the folks and the county government haven’t come up with a way to fund the vollies, where would you think the extra money would come from to pay for a paid outfit??
Might be a little glitch in your plan.
I blame Tennessee legislature…most States clearly spell out who is responsible for fire protection. ie: Township trustee.
What the hell is goin’ on down there in this county? This is the most backwards ass crap I’ve ever seen. This is a great example of backwoods good Ol’ boy dumb ass redneck politicians. What ever happened to neighbors helping neighbors? The last thing I worry about on arrival is if someones house is on fire…”I wonder whether they’re paid up or not?” Either levy a fire tax or restructure the tax system so everybody gets the assistance they pay for. The problem with the fire service today nationwide is dumbass politicians. All the Obion County fire companies get together and solve the damn problem!!!
What a massive disgrace
This type of things happens in my state from time to time. Not as much as it used to though.
A city fire department will offer a fire protection contract to adjoining townships for fire protection. Sometimes there will be a townhsip that does not contract.
A volunteer FD will try to form a fire district to fund the FD. In some communites tthe district is formed no problem. Other communities will fight tooth and nail to prevent a taxing district from being formed.
It all depends on the community. Many brave people haver tried over the years to make formal fire protection arrangments.
If I was the city fire dept. I would give notice that on such-a-such date, the fire trucks will not leave city limits without a formal fire protection from the county (with payment, of course).
Put the ball into the counties court. Remind them on and off that they need to enter into an agreement with payment for protection in the county.
Give notice to ISO of the fact and give the insurance companies the option to raise fire protection rates.
If the county board does not act, then it will be their fault, not the city fire dept.
Nothing is going to get done otherwise.
I’ve been a proud member of the fire service for over 50 years now, and have served in both career and volunteer departments. I never thought that I would see the day where I would encourage a strike but that day has arrived, thanks to the absolutely gutless elected officials in this Tennessee County. If these so-called public officials can’t see the absolute need to enact a county-wide tax for fire protection and enact it now, then I think the local FD’s have no alternative but to go on strike until they do. In fact, I think they have a duty to do that and force the hand of the public officials in this no-win situation that they have been placed in. Words are not adequate to express my contempt for the total lack common sense and commitment to public safety as expressed by the elected officials in Obion County, TN.