Without evidence of benefit, an intervention should not be presumed to be beneficial or safe.

- Rogue Medic

Further Commentary on the Fire Department in Obion County

Responding to In Defense of Obion County Fire Department, Jon wrote –

I’ve been going back and forth on this story… I see the policy as wrong, I see the resident as wrong, I see the FD as wrong.. but who does that leave as right? No one? Everyone? I have NO idea.

I see the fire department as the least wrong – by a huge margin. They do need to follow their policies.

I occasionally do violate my protocols, but only when I believe that I am able to justify this to my medical director. I am fortunate in that there are many places I can go to work. I have chosen to work for a medical director who cares more about the patients than about policy. So far, I have not done anything that has resulted in anything more than a slap on the wrist and the perverse criticism – We’re not going to punish you for what you did, because it was the right thing to do for the patient, but don’t ever do that again. Once I was put on secret probation and they did not seem to appreciate it when I started calling it Double Secret Probation – it was just single secret probation, so I was exaggerating.

None of that has been at my current job.

If I violate policy enough, I will not be employable in my chosen profession job. I no longer have to worry about being able to afford to take care of my daughter. She is an adult and able to take care of herself and her mother (my ex-wife) makes a lot more than I do (she doesn’t work in EMS).

Should I be critical of any fire fighter who does not violate policy in order to protect the home of someone who seems to feel that the fire department should be his little play thing; who acts as if his neighbors should pay for the fire department; who engages in reckless burning that should get him time in jail, where he can spend time with his son – a son who will probably receive the title violent felon once he has exhausted his due process rights.

The fire department did not cause the fire.

The fire department did not add to the fire.

The fire department did not endanger themselves to protect the property of Gene Cranick – the village idiot who lives outside of the village.

What everyone seems to ignore is that Gene Cranick recklessly burned down his own home and burned his pets to death.

So what if the town charged EVERYONE an extra $6.25 per month on their property taxes? Well, that would give the GOP something else to bitch about… that would turn it into “socialized fire protection”, as opposed to keeping it optional, which makes it more of an “acceptable” capitalism-based endeavor.

From what I have read, the fire department does not have the authority to tax anyone. Obion County has voted against this tax every time it has come up in the past 20 years.

Who knows? I certainly don’t.. and I’m still flip-flopping on the subject.

And I don’t have any problem with anyone flip-flopping. I would rather deal with someone who understands that they don’t know the answer to everything than someone who is adamant that their way is the only way, but is consistent.

Being one of three fulltime-ish employees at a tiny little EMS department in a tiny little town, I can completely understand money, or the lack thereof… on the job, at home…

It is often a good idea to try to understand things from the perspective of the person being vilified.

I think, though.. one of the points of the story that makes me vote against the town a little more with this whole situation is the fact that the resident offered to pay his $75 or more for them to come out and save his house, which was declined. I know the town’s laws are worded so that paying after the fact is not allowed, but still…

How much is appropriate to charge after the fact? How much for the fire department to remain ready?

How much for Gene Cranick to decide that he would have been better off paying the subscription?

How much to convince the fire department that the rest of the county is not more trouble than they are worth?

Why is the choice of this part of Obion County to remain a fire department-free zone the responsibility of the South Fulton Fire Department?

If everyone realizes that they will only have to pay when they actually have a fire, subscription funding will probably end up as substantial as Gene Cranick’s trailer.

Would I have accepted his offer? Yes. Would I have charged him more? Yes. Base $75 + interest + late fees of $6.25 per month, so call it $200. That’s $125 more that the FD would have received had he paid, but in this instance, they both lost out.

Maybe. Sometimes making a flagrant example of an abuser of the system is the right thing to do to let others know that you are serious about enforcing rules. Maybe it would have been better to put out the fire and find some way to publicly humiliate Gene Cranick – the village idiot who lives outside of the village.

Again.. I’m still flip-flopping. The resident’s son shouldn’t have assaulted the fire chief. The firefighters shouldn’t be blamed, as they were doing as they were told. Maybe… just maybe..

I don’t see any maybe about the actions of the fire fighters. There is no demand that they put out all fires. Some fires are too risky to put out. This fire might have been safe to put water on from a distance, but how would we know that Gene Cranick – the village idiot who lives outside of the village – does not keep a bunch of magnesium in his home. He certainly does not demonstrate much sense with fire protection.

Campbell Rice said above: “however the current county commission refuses to force a tax upon our citizens”. Taxes are already forced on the citizens.. on all of us. Sales, property, luxury, marriage, dog license.. “forcing” another $6.25 a month on the citizens isn’t going to make one iota of difference, other than the town can do away with its silly database and list-checking, which might improve response times?

As I understand it, none of the county taxes go to the fire department. Only the city taxes go to pay for a fire department for the city. The county can create a fire department any time they want. They do not seem to want a fire department. They want others to take care of them on a subscription basis.

What everyone seems to ignore is that Gene Cranick recklessly burned down his own home and burned his pets to death.

Maybe the city will decide that, after the current subscriptions expire, it just isn’t worth it to have the fire department respond outside of their territory. Gene Cranick’s reckless actions may also deprive his neighbors of the ability to even get a subscription for fire protection in a part of the county that has no fire department.

Then where will the aged and infirm be when they need a fire department.

Shame on Gene Cranick.

According to his interview, the home was only worth $1,000. So the savings of $75 per year may have paid for the home already. He states that he will receive the full value of the home from the insurance company. He is probably receiving money for the interviews he is giving. Gene Cranick – the village idiot who lives outside of the village – seems to be making out like a bandit.

Again.. I don’t know. So I’m going to sit here at the station, look dreamily out the window at this beautiful autumn day in northern Maine and hope that no one has a heart attack today.

And a bit of exercise is one way we can do something to prevent that ourselves. Exercise is something I should do more often. Even then, our genes condemn some of us to heart attacks at unreasonably young ages. That is why insurance companies pool the risks, but they don’t let you pay for coverage after the fact. That would be worse than insuring high risk mortgages at low prices.

We can control some of our risk factors, but not all of them. Paying for fire protection is another form of a controllable risk factor. Maybe it shouldn’t be one. I wouldn’t want to live with this subscription plan, because I am absent minded, but after 3 letters and 3 phone calls his excuse, I forgot, is just the punchline to a bad joke.

Great column, RM. Always enjoy reading your stuff.

Thank you. And thank you for the thoughtful commentary.

.

Comments

  1. I cannot believe you did an entire entry based around my earlier comments.. not even AD has done that and we’re FB buddies.. 🙂

    “I see the fire department as the least wrong – by a huge margin. They do need to follow their policies.”

    Absolutely. As you pointed out elsewhere, this is a political issue that was created by politicians and enforced by the citizens. There is always the fine line between “doing what’s right” and “not losing your job”. Had I been on duty that day, dressed up as a fireman, I’m not sure I would have slept too well that night, regardless… and yes, I’m more concerned about the dogs than the village idiot.

    “From what I have read, the fire department does not have the authority to tax anyone. Obion County has voted against this tax every time it has come up in the past 20 years.”

    I wasn’t referring to the FD levying additional taxes, but more like the County and/or municipalities as applicable levying such…. but, perhaps, since this tax has been constantly shot down, there are a lot more village idiots in that area who are shirking their $75 fee..?

    Oh.. and..

    “What everyone seems to ignore is that Gene Cranick recklessly burned down his own home and burned his pets to death.”

    Not this reader. I have fire training, experience and certifications falling out of my butt, and even *I* won’t burn during dry spells… especially garbage. Anywhere near a building. Or a dried out field. Or trees. Or..

    “It is often a good idea to try to understand things from the perspective of the person being vilified.”

    I was more understanding the financial aspects from what it’s like to be a fairly small department.. then, inversely, what it’s like to actually be working for that department and the financial aspects of my personal bank account… so depending on how those firefighters get paid (per call? per hour? etc.), there is certainly a good motivation to avoid losing your minimum wage job, especially since there doesn’t seem to be too many other places around there they could go.

    Personally, I’m not willing to give up even my $200+ a week position to flagrantly violate policy. Not at the grunt level most of us are at, at least.

    “How much is appropriate to charge after the fact? How much for the fire department to remain ready?”

    That is a number for the lawyers, bean counters and politicians to come up with. Granted, someone who owns a $1,000 home probably won’t be able to foot the bill, regardless, or maybe he could. There are simply too many variables and “unknowns”.

    Forcing the residents to pay the $75 in their property taxes would most likely be labeled “socialism”, so that makes me wonder how conservative of an area that might be.

    “Maybe. Sometimes making a flagrant example of an abuser of the system is the right thing to do to let others know that you are serious about enforcing rules. Maybe it would have been better to put out the fire and find some way to publicly humiliate Gene Cranick”

    If the County was after making a “flagrant example”, they succeeded, in spades. Again, I don’t care much that it was at the expense of four lives who were sadly dependent on a village idiot for survival, so certainly put out the fire, then put a lien on his property. Arrest him for arson and animal neglect/abuse. Garnish his moonshine income until the bill is paid off (the bill that was determined by anyone who is not me… lol). Community service?

    Certainly there could be a number of ways to a) prevent the loss of life and property; b) avoid this whole mess; and c) still make a flagrant example of what can happen if one does not pay their fee.

    “…the village idiot who lives outside of the village.”

    Yes. I laugh every time I read this…

    “I don’t see any maybe about the actions of the fire fighters.”

    Agreed. I honestly don’t recall what I was pondering and “maybeing” about..

    “As I understand it, none of the county taxes go to the fire department. Only the city taxes go to pay for a fire department for the city. The county can create a fire department any time they want. They do not seem to want a fire department. They want others to take care of them on a subscription basis.”

    This is a county I would not ever choose to live in. They are obviously more worried about bottom lines and brand new $3M office complexes than the residents… I can understand how unorganized rural areas are simply not equipped financially to build their own departments, as well as the county not wanting to spend money on apparatus, equipment and training on tiny volunteer departments that are only used maybe 2 or 3 times a decade.

    I did a little digging.. if the assessment on the village idiot’s home truly was only $1k, his taxes were less than $20 per year. (http://www.comptroller1.state.tn.us/PAnew/CountyAssessmentSummary.asp?c=066)

    To make this whole story a little more interesting, is the real estate assessment data. I had to convert the TN comptroller’s web page to a PDF: http://jonnyblues.com/cranick.pdf

    So, when faced with facts based on independent research, this guy is seeming less and less credible, not that I believed the spin the more liberal media outlets were giving the story…

    I really went off on a tangent on this one, with apologies for my long-windedness… I will endeavor for shorter responses in the future. There are just so few blogs out there that actually make me *think*. 🙂

    In short: I agree with you for the most part… a few nit-picky points on my end, not so much, but overall, the village idiot should have paid his fee, as he claimed to have every year up until now.

    • Jon,

      I cannot believe you did an entire entry based around my earlier comments.. not even AD has done that and we’re FB buddies..

      AD and I have different styles. He has almost 10 times as many readers as I do. I like to use comments to expand on parts of what I have not already addressed adequately. Comments can point these out to me. Sometimes comments help me to make a point a bit clearer. Sometimes a point is made in the comments that just gets me on a reply that does not easily fir in the comments.

      I see the fire department as the least wrong – by a huge margin. They do need to follow their policies.

      Absolutely. As you pointed out elsewhere, this is a political issue that was created by politicians and enforced by the citizens. There is always the fine line between “doing what’s right” and “not losing your job”. Had I been on duty that day, dressed up as a fireman, I’m not sure I would have slept too well that night, regardless… and yes, I’m more concerned about the dogs than the village idiot.

      Pain management is one of those areas, where we are faced with this problem. I have had to choose between doing what is best for the patient, following doctor’s orders unnecessarily restricting pain medicine, my continuing ability to work as a paramedic (at least my perception of what would happen to me depending on what I do), and what I can do that is some form of compromise.

      It is often a good idea to try to understand things from the perspective of the person being vilified.

      I was more understanding the financial aspects from what it’s like to be a fairly small department.. then, inversely, what it’s like to actually be working for that department and the financial aspects of my personal bank account… so depending on how those firefighters get paid (per call? per hour? etc.), there is certainly a good motivation to avoid losing your minimum wage job, especially since there doesn’t seem to be too many other places around there they could go.

      Should people endanger their jobs in a recession (sure it ended in June 2009, but the employment recession continues) to protect someone who repeatedly demonstrates contempt for the fire department – someone who compounds this by recklessly starting fires?

      Personally, I’m not willing to give up even my $200+ a week position to flagrantly violate policy. Not at the grunt level most of us are at, at least.

      Maybe. Sometimes making a flagrant example of an abuser of the system is the right thing to do to let others know that you are serious about enforcing rules. Maybe it would have been better to put out the fire and find some way to publicly humiliate Gene Cranick

      If the County was after making a “flagrant example”, they succeeded, in spades. Again, I don’t care much that it was at the expense of four lives who were sadly dependent on a village idiot for survival, so certainly put out the fire, then put a lien on his property. Arrest him for arson and animal neglect/abuse. Garnish his moonshine income until the bill is paid off (the bill that was determined by anyone who is not me… lol). Community service?

      The county needs to come up with some sort of way for the fire department to take payment at the time of a fire, or after the fact. Until they do, this option is not available.

      I did a little digging.. if the assessment on the village idiot’s home truly was only $1k, his taxes were less than $20 per year. (http://www.comptroller1.state.tn.us/PAnew/CountyAssessmentSummary.asp?c=066)

      Then why make such a big deal about it?

      If he has decided it is not worth the cost of a fire subscription, he should not store his valuables in it and then set it on fire.

      If he has decided it is not worth the cost of a fire subscription, he should not put his pets in it and then set it on fire.

      To make this whole story a little more interesting, is the real estate assessment data. I had to convert the TN comptroller’s web page to a PDF: http://jonnyblues.com/cranick.pdf

      So, when faced with facts based on independent research, this guy is seeming less and less credible, not that I believed the spin the more liberal media outlets were giving the story…

      As a renter, I am not accustomed to dealing with these documents. What conclusions do you draw from them?

      I really went off on a tangent on this one, with apologies for my long-windedness… I will endeavor for shorter responses in the future. There are just so few blogs out there that actually make me *think*.

      In short: I agree with you for the most part… a few nit-picky points on my end, not so much, but overall, the village idiot should have paid his fee, as he claimed to have every year up until now.

      I am less interested in having people agree with me. I am more interested in having people think through their opinions from as many perspectives as possible.

      elizabeth would have us think that the fire department locked the pets in the house and set it on fire. Why? It appears to support her biases.

      Did Gene Cranick forget the pets were in the house?

      Did Gene Cranick put the pets in the home to protect them from the fire and then forget they were in there?

      Did someone else put the pets in the home?

      All we know is that Gene Cranick seems to have had plenty of time to get the pets out of the home to a safer place, but did not. Why?

      We don’t know. There does not appear to have been any mention of any rescue in the dispatch. If there had been, the fire department would probably have arrived, let the pets out, evaluated any threat to any other buildings, and returned to their station.

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