TN department refuses to respond

rdm258 said:
Found out today that the Cheatham County Fire/Rescue Squad here in TN, will respond to your house if didn't pay upfront but you do get a bill afterwards. Here is what I was told.
It's $10 an hour per Firefighter
It's $250 an hour for each fire truck that is on scene.
If equipment is lost or damaged the homeowner will have to pay.
It's crazy and STUPID!!!
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Well I can agree with Rob and no Deano, All of TN has not run amock! The answer is very simple, MONEY! It makes people crazy and city fathers very uptight. Most citizens do not realize where there protection comes from let alone who pays for it. My profesional opinion is they never should have left the bay and turned the first wheel if they were not going to fight the fire. Period! The firefighters and the department will suffer due to ignorance! The city, the chief, the county and even the homeowner all have a part in this debacle.
There are 780 FD's in TN give or take a few and I would bet only a handful are adequately funded. There is plenty blame to go around.
 
rdm258 said:
Found out today that the Cheatham County Fire/Rescue Squad here in TN, will respond to your house if didn't pay upfront but you do get a bill afterwards. Here is what I was told.
It's $10 an hour per Firefighter
It's $250 an hour for each fire truck that is on scene.
If equipment is lost or damaged the homeowner will have to pay.
It's crazy and STUPID!!!
Click to expand...
What is so crazy about it?  In most cases it is still a bargain compared to paying the annual fee.  I have to pay for their equipment somehow and if you don't pay upfront this is how you pay.  Most of us have to pay upfront because it is part of our taxes but in this case it isn't so they have a choice.  If they make the choice not to pay annually this is what it costs them!  They know it ahead of time so they can make an informed decision.  This is OT but I know of places where if a company calls for mutual aid the responding departments will bill them an hourly fee per piece of equipment because if they are requested so often.
 
At $10.00 an hour for each firefighter, and $250.00 an hour for each truck, maybe a "For Profit Fire Dept" can drag their feet a little putting out a fire. I mean why hurry to put the thing out and get back to quarters. If I was the CEO of the company, I'd tell them, "take your time, don't get hurt, and remember Time is Money". The more time, the more money. We all need to make a profit here.
  And who pays for a brush fire ? What is the approximate cost of putting out a fire in one bedroom of a ranch house ? And who is responsible if the fire dept starts to loose it due to poor ventalition, or tactics. Do I get charged more should "They" need help because the fire extended. How many firefighters and trucks should I have to pay for in this case. If "They Loose it", do they pay "ME" for the extra damage they caused.
  Does this dept provide mutual aid or do they call for mutual aid. Who pays for the dispatchers, and does the fire dept go on EMS calls. If a passerby calls reporting smoke from my house, and its only a dryer vent, do I get charged.
  Bottom line here is "Making Money". I sure wouldn't want to see the bill if my neighbor calls in my trash can is on fire.
 
Here is how it is in one really depressed rural Tennessee County. Our county borders KY east of Nashville. We have one municipal FD (ME) and 7 independent community based volunteer departments. Each one was founded between 1985 and 2000. Each department roughly covers a district within 5 miles of the station. We handle our city and a district 5 miles out.We are fortunate since we are funded by the city taxpayers.Before 1985 we covered the entire county. We now provide EMS for the entire county. Any reported structure fires gets three departments. The county Govt gives $2500.00 to each department per year. Yes, twenty five hundred! The departments raise money how ever they can, but they do not refuse any call. AFG Grants have equipped each department with trucks, PPE and equipment. One thing the departments will do is bill the insurance company for the FD service charge cov on the homeowners policy. No policy, no problem, nothing goes to the homeowner. My point is we are all grossly underfunded and work together to accomplish the mission. We have the only Truck Co in the county and it is available as FAST truck for the entire county and surrounding counties. Reason? We may need them in the future, especially with shrinking manpower available and shrinking budgets! 
 
nfd2004 said:
At $10.00 an hour for each firefighter, and $250.00 an hour for each truck, maybe a "For Profit Fire Dept" can drag their feet a little putting out a fire. I mean why hurry to put the thing out and get back to quarters. If I was the CEO of the company, I'd tell them, "take your time, don't get hurt, and remember Time is Money". The more time, the more money. We all need to make a profit here.
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That's part of the incentive to pay the annual fee upfront.  If you don't pay that you're at the mercy of the system which is how it should be.
 
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