Gene Cranick's House Burns Down as Firemen Watch Because He Didn't Pay $75 Fee

• Wow, to just stand there and watch a man's house burn down with innocent animals inside was just wrong. I mean, the firemen where there, with water, stopping this fire from taking down other homes. They could not have sprayed water on this man's house? I am guilty of forgetting to pay a bill. I get a reminder, pay the late fee and move on. It is a sad, sad day in America when money comes in the way of saving a person's home.

• In my mind it's not a question of whether or not this guy paid his fire protection insurance. As the guy from the Philippines said, you take it upon yourself to do some things as a simple act of decency towards a fellow human. If this guy didn't pay his bill, if he sent me threatening letters, if he insulted me to my face, I would still make an effort to put the fire out in his home. People learn and change their ways, and he may be thankful and change his ways afterward or he may be hateful still, but that is not the point. If greed is your only motivation then, what is only $75. As many have stated, send him a bill later if you have a shred of humanity. The only precedent set would be that some policies regarding how this bill was handled should change. There is literally no argument that anyone can present here to stand by and not help their fellow man. Finally, I'll leave you with this thought. Had the man gone into his home himself to save his animals and been trapped, would they have let him die over $75? Would facing charges of manslaughter have made the fire department react any differently?

• It sucks that where he lives they don't mandate fire protection. Many states mandate fire protection and make it mandatory that every house be covered regardless on if you pay your taxes or not. But it is no different than any other insurance policy you have. If i dont have car insurance because i didn't pay the $65 bucks to have it, then have an accident and then ask them to cover my car if i pay the $65 bucks they would laugh at me. I think if the fire department did something and took the 75 bucks from the guy then the amount of people that paid their fire insurance would go down because hey, i dont have to pay it unless my house catches fire. It would be tough to stand there and do nothing, but no money makes it hard to pay for supplies the department needs to run. The people that live in that community should talk to their town leadership and see about having the town pay their 75 bucks and just up their taxes. maybe if the town is paying it, they can get a discount, because i am sure not everyone is paying the current tax.

• I'm a firey myself and cannot fathom how much pain those firefighters would have gone through watching that house burn down and being told not to save it. As a firefighter all you want to do is get in there and help. I think it's terrible and probably would have tried to save it anyway. But as a citizen, I can understand why it happened. There should NEVER be a choice of people not being able to pay a fire levy. It's like an insurance and if you crash your car with no insurance you are on your own. I think the blame needs to go back to the county to ask why these people were ever put into this situation. It's always a case of "it will never happen to me" so people do sometimes choose not to pay... regardless of if he says he forgot or not, doesn't mean he did forget... he could just be saying that. Get back onto the county and hopefully this highlights the absurd way they are providing protection.

• @ Manny: Did he pitch with the taxes or fees to support the fire department? I think Gene is cold-hearted and fucked up. He can spend several hundred to a few thousand dollars a years on cats and dog and yet kind find a paltry $75 a year for an organization that helps people. It is me, me. me. I got to have 5 cats and dogs. And then it is I have 5 cats and dogs I don't have any money for you! The Cost of Dog Ownership Can You Afford a Dog? dogs.about.c o m/od/becomingadogowner/a/costofdogs.htm Approximate Monthly Cost of Owning a Dog $60-235 Now Gene probably cheaped out so his expenses are probably less. But with one less dog do you think he could contribute to the community effort? Maybe?

• Has Rock Master Scott been reached for a comment?

• I come from a small city in the Philippines. When there is a fire, everybody pitches in --firemen, bystanders, citizens--to put out the fire. To stand around would be unthinkable, even criminal. And no, there is no charge. It's considered a service of the city, that's why we have a fire department. I think the US is starting to get really cold-hearted and fucked up.

• First off if you don't pay insurance on your car or home they are not going to fix it. Why do you think if you don't pay for fire or PD protection you deserve better or as much as the ones that do. Plus you don't know how long he didn't pay. His son should never touch the chief. What time he gets he deserves. I was born in TN and wish they could walk out of the redneck stage and grow up a bit. It's not correct to hit anyone, unless protecting family or you. It's never a good thing to take the law into your hands. Plus if they knew the animals were in there why didn't someone open the door before the fire reached the house. They were trying to get it back under control and no one thought of the animals and they own them. Now my last question was did he even have a burn permitt??? Did they opt out of homeowners insurance??? The insurance may pay if he did but will drop him for not carrying fire protection.

• Firefighters will not enter a burning trailer unless a life can possibly be saved. With weak floors, propane tanks, and the way they burn, it's just too dangerous. He would have lost the home anyway.

• Gene's Insurance company need to conduct an arson investigation. He might have burnt his own home down. Maybe he had a very old, rundown trailer and want a new one. This is the second fire. Maybe they should look for accelerant?

• Gene Crannick should be sued for services rendered for the first fire and for not paying. How could someone one forget to pay 3 years in a row after a previous fire?

• This is disgusting. I heard that neighbors also were writing bills for him and they WOULD NOT ACCEPT THE MONEY. So they just stood their and watched as his house and ANIMALS burned. What if there was a person in there? And then they jumped in when someone elses house was in danger? That's awful. I heard the volunteers were 'in tears' because they were ordered not to help but wanted to. Well, tough shit volunteers. It doesn't matter how much you wanted to help, you didn't. That makes you even worse than the fire chief, because you didn't do anything at all when you could've. Because of you, a man's house, possessions and companions are gone. I've never wished this upon someone but you deserve to burn in hell.

• This is so stupid. How can anyone watch as someone's house burns to the ground knowing they have the equipment to prevent the damage? Those firefighters should be ashamed of themselves.. and if it were me I would try to sue someone!!

• Obviously none of you ranting about this man's animals cannot read nor can you comprehend. I will spell it out in short sentences with short words. He lives in the county and pays no property taxes. City property taxes pay for a volunteer fire department. People in the county can sign up for fire services for $75 a year. This is the third year this family has not paid. This is their second fire. The first fire was put out for free. He thought he could just keep getting free service. Volunteer fire department shut down briefly 3 years ago because of freeloaders. Rules change, only if a human life is in danger can a freeloader get service. His house burned down. He started whining.

• Thats America for you..all about the money!! I could have never stood there and let someone's house burn. So sad, could they not have saved his home and punished him with a fine if they just felt they needed to teach a lesson. If I were the parents or loved- ones of any of those firemen I would be so ashamed. I am ashamed that something like this would even occur in our country! If any of them read this I hope they feel real manly now, and if they are every on fire I hope no one spares their piss to put them out!

• What a miserable 21 year old child Gene's grandson must be to leave a fire untended, take a shower, then run out of the house leaving the cats and dogs to die.

• when a fire cheff telling you this is what your going to get for now on. this bad for all? blackmail for cash. if you cant hate these people then your are for 75.00 dollar house burnings live with chifffirebug

• That was so WRONG in every way.!!!!!! Way to go Timmy.!!!! If that was my parents I would have done the same thing. The assult charges would be well worth it. What a miserable man that chief must be. I don't know how some people sleep at night.

• Bill him ? He wouldn't pay the 75 before, what makes you think he'd pay after the fact ? Can you get car insurance AFTER the wreck ? He was contacted by mail and by phone to opt in or out of fire protection, and he opted out the last 2 years. And these firefighters are volunteers, not professional firefighters. (that means they don't get paid, for you slower people) It takes money to buy gear, equipment, fuel, training, etc. Thus the fee. This dumbass was burning garbage outside and set his own trailer on fire. He could have rescued his own animals if they were important to him. Trailers burn extremely fast, and they were probably dead before FD even arrived.

• I hope that some day this fire chief lets his health insurance lapse and has to make a trip to the emergency room. They would still treat him in his time of need.

• @ angry grandma Look at this. Not sure if it works discovermagazine.c om/2003/aug/featfire Check Wikipedia for "Geothermal" After a few decades or maybe several the pipes might get corroded and the system's efficiency would suffer or stop. But for those decades it works there would be no worries of heating oil or propane. Start up cost might be a killer though. Off Grid and fewer worries about gov't or private utilities. They might jack your property taxes to compensate though.

• I hate to tell all of you, but no firefighters anywhere are under any obligation to enter a building to save animals. It is sad the animals died, but animals die in house fires all the time. It scares me a little that all of you value the lives of a few dogs an cats over that of humans.

• I agree John. My son just had a solar generator installed (he lives in a city that's is a little like rural) and now he is no longer on city electric. His generator runs on propane gas. it cost a pretty penny, but it's cost effeient. The propane is back up for when there is no sun. The told him that one tall propane tank should last him for at least 6 months. if he has to use it 15 days a month. If not, could last him a year. He has a 8 room farmhouse. And it provides electricity for the entire house and for the furnance. I'm thinking about getting one for my place in Maine. He says it should save him $200 a month in electricity. I think that is the geothermal you mentioned? I have no clue about solar anything except the lights outside my house!!!

• I'd like going in the country and going off grid. A Spanish style house with fired clay tiles would be fire proof. Use some solar tech like Stirling engines and it would be awesome. Maybe solar in combo with geothermal.

• This story has had way to much attention. I say we agree to disagree, like Alexa likes to say. People who live in the city and have never lived in a rural area that has no continued service do not understand exactly what it is. You have instant water. Instant electric. Instant cable. Instant heat. The fire and police are all over the place. And fire hydents all over. If you rent, the owner pays for your city services (minus the lights, heat and cable) you never see water bill, sewer bill, trash bills. Or taxes. In the country (rural country that is) you are lucky if you have sewer or running water that is pumped in. If not, you have a well dug and your water pump is electric. And instead of a sewer you have septic tanks. And you don't have police really. You have sheriff's office or constable. and there is no POLICE FORCE. You get 2-6 officer's you are lucky. You have electricity. and a phone. But there maybe no cable and if you wanna watch TV you gotta get a dish. Most use wood stoves for heat, and if they don't they have natural gas which is brought in not by a pipe under the road. It's delievered in a huge tank on the outside of your house. Which you may also use to cook with. So it isn't like city ready in the country. So the town government hold meetings and the town people have a say in what goes on. No taxes is a huge meeting every year.

• Blackmail is knowing your house will be burn down before firefighters can reach it and leaving your pets in the trailer. But judging from your grammar, if you are a relative of Gene Crannick, then maybe he is not at fault at all.

• the firefighters NO blackmailers of worst kind how can that blackmailer show his face say thats what you get for not paying 75.00 he got his animals dying in font of him his house all his life stuff stell the blackmailers sat look on if the town people has guts thay let the blackmailers houses burn down and all look on fine sorry heroes tennessee p.s. the man paid your blackmail before in year past just to show its bullshitt !

• @mom of 2: This is more than $75. It was 75 dollars for just one year. This was his 3rd fire. Crannick & his grandson should not be around matches. After his 2nd fire maybe they should have read up on fire safety. Maybe they should have reviewed insurance, because among the Crannik's fires are a common occurrence. How many times does the fire department have to go broke? When organization are broke, equipment is not maintained. So you are okay with fire men using bad equipment?

• @ mom of 2: UYep, two wrongs don't make a right. The only real victims of the wrongdoing this time were the animals. I am mostly angry that the cheapskate county residents and officials don't want to pay for their services with a small property assessment. They don't want taxes, and some don't want to pay the subscription fees either. No one can expect something for nothing, that is not how the world works. The family slipped by on this once before and figured they could keep on skating. Maybe this firestorm of attention will encourage the county to make some changes, start collecting taxes on property to be used for emergency services so that this kind of situation never has to happen again. Sometimes people have to face consequences in order to make a positive change.

• @ Marie So the fire spreads from the trash burning area to the shed. Gene Crannick and grandson are to handicapped or overworked to handle a garden hose and find time to open the door to let the animals out. I think they let them burn. The Crannick's should be brought up on animal cruelty charges. WTF are you going to tell me. That there was no FUC-KING possible way that Crannick could have save those animals by opening a door in the 10 to 20 minutes it took for the fire department from ANOTHER STATE got there. We all know that it takes 3 days to open a door and let Rover out. Charge Crannick with animal cruelty. NOW!

• @Caty I have been reading and NO matter what I will not change my morals on this!! The guy is an @$$hole no doubt abt it he should have paid his dues. If I was there I would have helped him put out the fire 2 wrongs dont make a right.

• @mom of 2 and @ marie: You are jumping in at the tail end of a discussion. I already spent a lot of time posting information from our local sources regarding this issue. If you care to get the whole story, go online and look it up. The long and short of it is this family has a history of doing this. The town straddles the Kentucky Tennessee border. County residents pay no city taxes to support the fire department. NONE AT ALL!! Prior to 1990 every house in the county burnt down because the county folks would not assess property to pay for fire services. In fact the county just declined to assess property to pay for fire services in an effort to keep the taxes low. This was heavily supported by the residents of the county. The town wanted to help and offered a subscription based fire service. When the fire department almost went under because 85% of the runs were to the county and no one would pay, hey had to get tough. No service for non-subscribers unless a human life was at risk. People with no money could have the fee waived or reduced. The volunteer fire department does not have any ability to garnish wages or take legal action against county residents. They tried and failed, and that is why the department almost shut down four years ago. I feel bad for his losses, but he does have homeowners insurance. I would feel worse if there was no fire department at all because it went under while continuing to try and take care of fires for a county that repeatedly refuses to cover basic services with a very small property tax assessment. Does that clarify things for you any?

• THANK YOU Marie XoXo If any one needs my help money or not. I will do my best to help.

• I read "...they didnt lift a finger to put out the fire." When he called them. I was also responding to your post saying that they dont have time or $$ to file claims as a Volunter F.D. the claims are waived when they file. And in the U.S. time is money so I am back to trying to justifiey the root of evil $$. I was not saying run into the buring building but how abt. spraying water on it? I belive children every were are finding out abt. bills and not paying them I am living in my 3rd rental house in 3 years with my husband and children this is the 3rd land lord who has not paid his BILL tho we have paid rent.So off we go now I have paid a minum of 3,000 for each move we have only lived here for 2 months before the bank took it over WE have had no justice in geting any thing back so now 3,000 more dollars I must find tp move i dont see how local gov. or BIG gov. has any thing to do with it?? I say they could have garnished the pticks wages and been done with it.

• This is digusting....just to not to revert to being a good human, letting animals die for taking orders from the chief for his reasons. I hope all the firefighters and chief need someone someday to come to there rescue and get no-one!!!! That service should be included in there taxes--everywhere. We pay for people to live in this country illegaly and we can't save a mans house because of $75.00...give me a break...my hats off to his son.

• @ mom of 2: You have missed a lot of details. He had the money, he just didn't pay, and it was not the first time he and his family have done this either. People in that area with limited means have waivers and reduced fees. Unfortunately his county has no fire department and has a subscription service to a neighboring town. If a human life had been at risk, their rules say that they will go in. The ultimate duty of a firefighter is to preserve human life. Everything else is secondary. I would never, ever expect a fireman to risk their life for my pets. As much as I love my three pets, I could not live with myself is a firefighter died trying to rescue them. Maybe this is an example for kids of what happens if they choose to support a local government that has low taxes and an opt-in mentality for basic public services...and they don't take care of their bills.

• Well next time there is a moral issue at hand I will start thinking abt finaces and how the 2 go toghther. May be it is me in my "bubble" but I thought to protect and serve as hole didnt hold any clauses. Lets teach Jonny and Suzie right from wrong with this one and see how it goes over. May be if this old man sold dope one the side he would have had his $75. Well ether or one more homeless man one more person we are probaly going to be paying for as tax payers cus now he is homeless hope it was worth the $75 becaue now he will need finacail aid he lost it ALL

• Sory 1 more thing we talk abt how we as a comunity are FAILING our people how our children are not doing the RIGHT thing what abt US we are teaching them $75 is more important than animals and someones home we are all finacily straped if he couldnt pay and didnt pay why not save his home his pets and work with him after ward??? Dont expect the world to get better or change if we as a socity dont set an example for our young!!

• @ mom of 2: It may indeed have been "wreackless" but the rules were in place and he knew them. It was well-established in his area that "no-pay no-spray" was the rule since the volunteer fire department almost went broke and shut down while trying to take care of the county people who did not pay. They did try to have people pay after the fact, but could not enforce it. Since they are volunteers, I am betting that they probably don't have the time or money for filing claims. I hope the county rethinks its attitude on taxation and fees and assigns a fee to every single occupied structure so that this junk doesn't have to happen again.

• Angry Gma made a point it is a VOULUNTER Fire dept. what is this the 1800's WTF what about morals??? Put the fire out save the animals then take dude to small claims court I guess fire fighters dont take an oath like Dr.s and Police I think it is wreackless and WRONG!!!

• Mooz - I think if I needed to call the Fire Department to put out fires on my property three times in the last three years I'd definately remember to pay my Fire Tax. I bet they even sent out one of those neat-o letters to remind him with a self-addressed envelope included.

• The City better hope I am not on the civil jury!!

• Welcome to LibertarianLand, folks. Just saying. Everyone for themselves, no pity for neighbors, nothing. Farewell streets, sewers, all the infrastructure you use every day, etc, this guy was just one stupid person. but from the response, it sounds like there area lot of stupid people out there that feel 'government is too intrusive, too big and should just done away with." With that logic lies the comforts of living in rural India, where you ain't got nothing but yourself. Good luck with that. i'm going to try and make my vote and voice count for responsible and reliable government.

• @Kristin: Obviously I have more of a clue than you, if you read the update: "The county could easily add the $75 fee to property taxes, thus allowing it to buy group protection and better-funded fire departments. But it's rejected that idea, instead allowing people to opt out for the last 20 years." Government at any scale, rural or urban, is the same in concept. Most of you are trying to vilify the home owner for not paying his taxes, or the Fire Department for not doing their 'job'. Neither are the villain. The man is not a deadbeat. The volunteer Fire Department are not mafia extortionists. The county government is to blame for allowing such a service to be optional and not a mandatory tax. One can infer using common sense that this man is not an exception, there are probably a large number of people not paying the tax and it's obviously put a lot of stress on the volunteer Fire Department. Enough for them to make an example that they will not be taken advantage of any more. The home owner is not a bad person. People forget, and most people don't think that something like their home burning down could ever happen to them. What's the point of making an optional insurance fee if it's a basic service that everyone is going to 100% need?

• @ Piper "Why didn't they just take a check for the 75.00 and put the fire out." For how many years was he not paid up? If it is for 10 would you just have him jut pay $75? Try learning about game theory sometime. PLEASE.

• @Dave Mr. Cranick is the one with the "ME" attitude. He didn't feel like "HE" should have to pay the fee. "THEY" will just bail "ME" out when "I,ME,ME,I" need it. He declined the fee,"HIS" choice. Did he "forget" to pay his cable bill to? Sad story sure, but people need to take their head out of their ass and learn personal responsibility. Don't want to pay your bills, fine your choice but don't expect "ME" to pay them for you. Can't pay your bills because of hardship, me and most people are willing to help out.

• Wait, this is the third time this has happened? And the last time he was able to pay them AFTER they put out the fire? The more facts come out, the less sympathetic I am.

• Kristin and Caty seem to have the right of it. The county should include the $75 in annual property tax, but people would probably have a fit if they tried doing that. No one wants to pay taxes, but everyone wants the services you get from paying taxes. All the people crying about how wronged he was should get a clue. You stop paying for a service and you don't get it any more.

• Piper said: "Why didn't they just take a check for the 75.00 and put the fire out." Because they'd already done that for him once. And if he was "aging" and forgetting things, his son could have made sure he paid it. (I mean any son who would drive from TN to KY to punch out a Fire Chief cares, right?) These are not "professional" firefighters, these are VOLUNTEERS. They get paid like $30.00 to show up to a call, any on-the-job insurnace they have is paid for out of the paltry $8000 the chief has to manage, train and pay the department. Stop comparing this to your suburban towns! I challenge all of you to go use the Internet to find out if your town has a volunteer/on-call or full-time fire department and how much they have in budget money. Then ask yourself if this man was a moron to tempt fate like this 3 times.

• Angry Grandma I see your point - and I can see why many people would be shocked, but unless you've lived in a really rural area, "Fire Insurance" or "Fire Tax" may be a totally foreign concept. People in the Northeast don'trealize that in the South you can drive for 45 minutes without driving through a single town. Counties have Sheriffs, but not police departments, or fire departments of their own. The people who live in the "unincorporated" parts of the county like that their taxes are very low. Businesses love it too - most of the factories that left the Northeast in 1980s relocated to rural county areas in the South expressly for the rock bottom taxes. They don't pay for what they don't use. In the city where I lived, you didn't pay "fire tax" if you lived within the city limits because you already paid propery taxes to the town/city, but if you chose to live out in the county (not in a town) you had to pay Fire Tax for the Fire Department to come put your house out, or for them to respond with an ambulance to any non-life threatening emergency on your property. This is the way most of the Fire Departments operate there. And believe me $75.00 is a bargain. Though I can't speak for all Fire-Departments, ours would go in to rescue people from a "non-insured" house, but not pets. Try to understand, the counties there are huge, and very far from civilization. Your house/farm may be nearly an hour from the closest Fire Departments, and which one should respond? You don't live in either town. My best friend lived equidistantly from two town Fire Departments (30 minutes away), knowing that, he paid "Fire Tax" in both town, knowing they'd both have to respond, and maybe one would be faster. Just to fight the fire, they may have had to lay a mile of hose to get water, and I'm sure they would have had to pump water from the closest body of water too. All the while risking the lives of their volunteer/ on-call firefighters. Another thing to remember is many of the Fire Departments are not full time firefighters. Would you risk your life and limb to save the property of someone who can't be bothered to mail in a check which helps to pay for insurance in case you get hurt/killed? People want the service - they just don't want to pay for it. This guy KNEW he hadn't paid his $75.00. He'd paid in years prior, so he knew he was risking losing everything for the sake of $75.00. He was either a gambler, seriously cash-strapped, or a moron. Either way he knew he was wrong, and he blew it, and now he's making a big deal over it. If he didn't think this way of doing business was "right" he could have worked hard to get the method of payment changed, or he could have moved to the city/town where he didn't have to worry about it. I'd love to know where this guy was from originally, to think that his case would be "special" because they make it very clear what happens if you don't pay your Fire Tax.

• could have been worse, they could have shown up with a bag of marshmellows

• In MA, we don't have a lot of mobile homes. the number one reason is the winters. But we do have them. And to get homeowners insurance for them is very hard and expensive. We almost bought a 'modular home' (double wide!) until we were told that no insurance company in MA or CT would insure it. they told us we would have to get insurance from a company in TX that deals in 'modular home' insurance. I decided then that i would rather a house that way if i have a problem, i know a agent will come to my house and see the actual problem instead of a company to hire a 3rd party to 'look over the problem'.. My son owns a trailer that he bought from craigs list and is renovating and will be reselling it. he has owned it for almost a year now. He does not have any insurance on it. Even though it is within a city limit (in a trailer park) the only city service he gets is water. He has to pay for trash pickup (city won't pick up) and he must hire the one that works for the park. Because he has no insurance, he can't rent it or live in it. Per the park management. But if you own your own land and put a trailer on the property, you don't have to have any insurance. but you don't have city services neither, unles you pay for them. I think this guy should be charged with animal cruelty for allowing his animals to die. he is also responisble for outside burning and causing the fire. Most rural areas allow some burning, but if you have to pay for trash pick up, most people just burn it instead. Cheaper. Also, i bet the trailer was almost gone by the time the fire dept got there so there really wasn't anything they could do. And if someone had been inside, then they would have attempted to get the person out. this creep is just trying to put blame somewhere else then on himself. And i hope the family memeber sentenced to jail time for hitting the chief. he should have hit this stupid guy not the chief.

• How old was the trailer and how much was it worth compared to hi insurance payment. ezinearticles.c om/?The-Truth-About-Mobile-Home-Appreciation-and-Depreciation-for-Real-Estate-Investors&id=134154 answers.yahoo.c om/question/index?qid=20080726124722AAc03W1

• In ky we pay property taxes not only on our land but our mobile home as well each year. Usually based on what you pay for the property and mobile home. Of course it increases any time it is reassessed, or you make improvements.

• I would love to know how many past due accounts have been updated since this happened.

• He paid the years before. Until I see it I won't believe it. He could have brought proof to the Olberman show. He did not. It would be as simple as showing the previous year's payment. He did not. http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/Examiner-Opinion-Zone/iain-murray-Burn-baby-burn-104358224.html I was delinquent in pay an insurance bill < 48 hours. Nothing happened. But if it did insurance wouldn't pay. Sounds willful to me. This is was not the 1st fire. And kids. If it is not the 1st Fire I would teach them fire safety. It is not rocket science. Clear brush away. A fire extinguisher. some bucket sof water?

• Joe, He had paid the years before, yes he is old enough to forget things, you know it well could have slipped his mind, or his wife's if she is in charge of the money. His grandson started the fire, which kids do. Think

• &#64; Piper: 1. I don't think he ever paid 2. I don't think that he is that old (<70). 3. I don't think he forgot. He said that to manage perception. 4. This was the 3rd out of control trash fire. So we let him do it again?

• I think the fire department did the right thing, and if I was the Guy's insurance company I wouldn't pay his claim, because not paying the fee = Negligence. I'm sure if someone was trapped in the house they would have pulle dthem out, but still not put out the fire, and I don't blame them. I love his attitude of "well, i didn't pay and still expect them to help anyways" Just like people who protest the armed forces but woudl freak if the National guard didn't show up after a national disaster. Fell bad for the pets though, what a shitty owner.

• Why didn't they just take a check for the 75.00 and put the fire out. When people start aging they really do forget things. They mean well but they forget. I don't feel they should have been used as and example for others. How would one of those fireman felt if they were their parents, would they have let it burn then? I think not. It's a sad day when the mighty dollar means more then doing what's right.

• I forgot. Honest, I forgot for the 20th year in a row and after a previous fire. I have to save the $75 so I can keep my overweight status. It looks like he missed a few meals.

• &#64; Steph: Can you refuse emergency service? I think so. For example do rescue teams have to go up and get every mountain climber? They do. But they are rethinking it. Helicopters are very expensive to operate. You going to send a rescue team up during a blizzard? They are not going to call you on a nice day. Fireman in the recent past have not fought fires in Detroit until police cleared the area of snipers. SO emergency responders don't always responded due to danger or cost to the response team. If we are going to have a bigger government solution. WTF was he burning. Did he have a burn permit? Did he have training. Was his prepubescent son in danger. Should Child Protective Services take the CHILD away?

• &#64; Guest: How can those heartless firefighters watched it burn after being stiffed by this loser the 2nd or 3rd time. After the first time you'd think that he'd do a cost benefit analysis of cost of home versus $75/year. Obviously, he is a free loader. He did not forgot. That was THROWN out there be him to protect his REPUTATION. He does not want to be known as a cheap ass skin flint and idiot. This was not the 1st time! His grandson (age unknown) was unsupervised and started a large trash fire. Crannick should be brought up on child endangerment charges by Child Protective Services. His pets? He can't take 30 seconds or 2 minutes to open a door? We don't know what the assessed value or market value of his home/trailer was. We don't know how much his insurance policy is. We don't know if he planned this. Kill a few pets for the sympathy. If enough people are outrage over the poor pets, no one will guess FRAUD. Howe big is the acreage that he is on? How close was the place to burn trash? Personally, I would have placed the burn pit up against the trailer wall so the wind wouldn't blow spark to anything burnable (;|). How far was the burn pit from trailer 20 feet or 50? What precautions did he take? Trailers don't hold value well unlike houses. Maybe it was time to get a new one and this is FRAUD!

• These firefighters should be ashamed of themselves... How can one sit and watch another person's home burn down and pets die without lifting a finger to help?!! Where are their morals, ethics and compassion??!!! And we humans are said to be superior to other species? Apparently, some haven't made it that far!!! Hm.

• In Ireland we just pay the fire service after the call out, which is around $850. You'd want to be very sure that you need them if you are going to call them! My chimney caught fire before and I didn't call them because I couldn't afford to pay them. It seemed to have sorted itself out anyway, thank god. This wouldn't have happened in Ireland anyway. There is no way a fire service team would sit and watch a home burn down, not for any reason.

• Exactly Suz!! Most emergency rooms cannot refuse a patient treatment, even if the patient has past due bills. The police cannot refuse to protect a member of society just because they don't have a job to pay taxes that go towards that officer's paycheck..... so how in the hell is the fire chief justified in his decision?! If anyone wants to bitch up a storm to government officials with me: TN Governor Phil Bredesen @ Phil.Bredesen@tn.gov general message on contact us page @ TN.GOV Obion County Mayor Benny Macguire 731-885-9611 TN Senators (US) Lamar Alexander 202-224-4944 Bob Corker 202-224-3344 Visit the website for the Tennessee General Assembly for members of the state senate and house.

• That's just unethical and wrong. Even IF a person commits and crime and gets injured while running away from the scene...by law, we wouldn't leave him/her lay dying along the side of the road (even if we WANTED to). The city could have just charged him the fee later. What a horrible requirement and horrible actions done to this guy. It's pathetic and uncalled for.

• I understand that money makes the world go round, I understand that some fire departments are basically forced to charge these fees or they wouldn't be able to operate, but what about people that can't afford it? Yeah, its just $75, but to some people, that is a LOT of money. This particular case is extremely fucked up, no one should be denied emergency assistance, no one should be forced to watch there house burn down. If it was about the stupid fucking money, why did they waste fuel, time, and supplies driving the engine out there to sit? I hope his house and the lives of those animals WHO BURNED TO DEATH OVER IDIOCY were worth proving a point over $75!! Isn't part of becoming a firefighter about COMPASSION???? This cannot be legal, somebody tell me that this bullshit cannot be freakin' legal?! This makes me sick to my stomach. The stupid bitch they refer to as fire chief completely deserved to be punched, and he should be fired. Where the fuck is PETA?!! OMG this makes me furious. I'm writing senators about this shit.

• I am truly sickened by this sad and horrible (non) action of the fire fighters. Personally if I knew that someone's entire life, possessions, and pets were at risk, NO ONE would stop me from trying to help and possibly save their lives not a chief, superior, or ANYONE!!!! I don't care one bit if I were to be paid for it. Those innocent animals were sacrificed over a measly $75 fee. This is utterly disgusting and I hope some form of punishment is pursued. How ANYONE can stand by and watch someone's life essentially ruined over a minimal amount of money is simply inexcusable.

• What happens if say you don't pay the Police the "Fee" to protect and serve? Let the sicko murder your family? No follow up investigation if you are a victim of crime? WTF is wrong with people these days? What is with this fucking "ME" attitude? Sad world indeed.

• &#64; Jen: I never had a job that I could walk to. There are no trains or buses where I live. I have commuted up to 3 hours a day for a job. That is what I could get. 100 Year ago it was a capitol offense to steal a cowboy's horse. The cowboy needed a horse more than a house to live. Maybe you don't understand that. Maybe you don't like cowboys Maybe you want to be catered to.

• House was in 1 state & Fire department was in another state. Get it? He did not pay FUC-KING property tax ever to that town. It was a low cost service provided by the town not in his state. Only the stupid would be ungrateful

• read this article earlier, this is completely rediculous. if this was not in a rural trailer park, I'd bet the neighborhood would have beat the shit out of those firemen. I'm glad the fire chief got punched out. Poor guy. The dude still pays taxes, doesn't he?

• The car insurance metaphor is ridiculous. People do not need a car in order to live and do need shelter in order to live. That is why they are treated differently. I want to pay a tax to make sure that if my neighbor cannot afford to pay an extra 'fee' for fire coverage that that does not in turn endanger my home or property or for that matter the greater community or environment.

• I understand the law, must what happen to common curtosy or morals here...People look up to firemen as well as the Mayor that approved their actions.This is just too sad..Know one really knows why he didnt pay...Everyone should be asking themselves why did this happen, is this what our world has come down too ..

• Morons The firefighters did exactly as they should have. If you don't understand this you are beyond hope and you are exactly what is wrong with this country. Thank God you are in the minority. It boils down to two key words "personal responsibility"

• This is absolutely disgusting. To just stand there and watch a persons home burn down for the spite of it is appalling. This town needs to be investigated.I hope it comes back to bite them in the ass. They are a disgrace to real firefighters like our 9/11 heroes!

• &#64;Christine: The house was fully in flames when they got there. Even if they had tried to put it out, everything would have been water soaked. Have you ever seen a trailer burn. I will tell you, it probably took less than 20 minutes for it to burn to the ground. The people in South Fulton are already so sick of this bad press, some of them are asking why keep offering to help out the county people if it is going to cause this much trouble. They have fundraisers to pay for all kinds of electronics, equipment, maintenance, training, materials, fuel, phone, building maintenance etc. Trust me volunteer does not mean everything in the building is free. Three years ago, there were so many runs out to the county that were not paid for, the fire department almost closed. Which would you prefer? No service for anyone, or service for those who wish to pay and sticking with it. if I don't pay my bills, my services are cut off. He did not pay his bill. Are you willing to pay his way? Mortgage, insurance, electricity, car note, gasoline... I wonder if his insurance will refuse to pay since he didn't pay his premium for fire coverage. Because if he had homeowners, he would have to pay that fee in order to keep the premiums reasonable. I am betting the people in the county will be pretty sorry if the city says "f" you and just lets all of their stuff burn up due to all of this criticism.

• On average 100 paid firefighters cost the city 6.5 million dollors per year. Thus 20 paid firefighters would cost $260,000.00 per year per fire station. Volunteer fire fighters volunteer services. Fulton County, with a population of 2517, average family size 3 multiplied by $75.00 per year yeilds another $62,925.00 per year. Fulton County fire department has 589 products for sale from 45 different sponsors. $$$. Fundraising. $$$. Equipment leasing. $$$. Advertising. $$$.........."(needs to step in to save the cheap and stupid and forgetful, even when they won't help themselves or contribute to the aid of others?)" These firefighters sold their soul for $75.00.To watch anyones home burn down for any reason is morally bankrupt.

• I would feel worse if one of those men who are VOLUNTEERS from another city died trying to save some raggedy burned up crap that was in that trailer. The trailer was already consumed by the time the firemen showed up to the house. This is the second time he pulled that stunt. This time his stuff burned up instead of being saved for free. Maybe if his county was willing to pay taxes they could afford their own fire service. They are borrowing from someone else, and don't want to pay the bill??? If someone was at risk of dying in that house they would have come out. Since it was property, he was out of luck. He made a bad decision, and now his family has paid the penalty. I hope he makes a better decision in the future, and I hope that the other people in his county start paying their darn bills. If no one pays, the services will run out of money and we will all be at risk.

• &#64; Lolly: So he doesn't pay the fire fee for years. What if he is also an uninsured motorist? What if he defaults on his mortgage? How far will you carry him? Can you carry him?

• Wow, some people are truely heartless. Personally, I wouldn't give a shit if the guy was the biggest free loading, free riding SOB 2 ever walk the fn planet. None of us have any place in judging him. Firefighter hve a job, it's to put out the fn fire and save what property, people and animals they can. It shouldn't matter if he forgot or skipped out or whatever. If a mans home is burning to the flippig ground, help him put the fire out. Duh!

• I hope he gets no more pets for their sake...

• Caty is the last word on the no load moocher. @ "The Man" Karma is a biatch!

• This is the second time in three years that this man has burned trash and started a fire on his property. The first time, he paid the fee a little while later. I am from KY and know the area in question. It is the middle of no where. Before 1990 if you lived in this area and your house caught on fire then your house burned down. There was no one to call. Then this town in neighboring Kentucky offered these people fire protection for 75 bucks a year. Take it or leave it. They used to respond to all fires in the area even if you did not pay the 75 bucks and send a $500 bill if you were not on the plan, but so few people paid the bill that the fire department was going broke and they were going to have to shut down the fire department permanently. So they made the change to only serve those who pay. However they will respond if you are not a "member" if a life is in danger. He thought he could keep sliding by. I feel sorry for the pets and for his family members who lost personal items.

• If he was delinquent more than a year, he is a grasshopper. Ants and grasshoppers. Remember the story.

• "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. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39516346/ns/us_news-life/ 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. " http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39516346/ns/us_news-life/ He forgot. How many days, months or years was it? News reporters I guess don't find this stuff out. Of course Crannick is not going to volunteer this information. He had at least three dogs and a cat. If he can afford the food bill, he can afford insurance. Who was paying attention to Pyro, the grandson? I wonder if they burn hazmat as well?

• Sounds to me like citizens need to start getting together and preparing, mainly focusing on how we are all going to save eachother because apparently we are and our property are no longer worth being saved unless we pay in advance, how much more evil and ignorant can people get?! Come on people! We are talking about a mans home here! This reminds me of when the religious police let all those schoolgirls burn because they weren't wearing the proper headgear. Obviously law has become more important than moral. Once again, money wins. :(

• Firemen put fires out! Period! How callous can you be. So much for public servants. So, if I have this straight, firemen do not have to put out fires and the courts have ruled that police are not required to protect the public. So much for government by the people for the people.

• Oh yes, I forgot. This is not the first time he has been in this situation. He said in his interview that they had a fire at the house a few years ago, again while burning trash. He had not paid the fee that year either, but gave them some money the following day. (Apparently he does not believe in paying for trash pickup either) and the volunteers from the city came anyway. The rules were changed, because many folks did not/would not pay and the volunteer department decided to only take care of people registered for the service. There are only 20 people total in the department, so pretty small. Maybe people like this guy are the reason they had to take such a hard line.

• Much as I feel for the guy, here is the flip side of arguing that they should have put out his fire despite his poor choice. What if you lived in the county and had paid your fee. Or you lived in the city and payed the taxes that subsidized (greatly) this service which is offered as a courtesy to rural folks. Your house was on fire with your beloved pets, you memorabilia, your valuables and photos etc. inside. You call for helpl Response from operator: "Sorry, the truck is already out, we will get there when we can. Our firemen are busy putting out a fire at a guy's house who COULDN'T BE BOTHERED TO PAY HIS FEES!" Imagine how well that would go over with you. 'Nuf said.

• &#64; Joel - A couple more points... Imagine a society where everyone thought the same way as this gentleman.... "I thought they'd come out and put it out, even if you hadn't paid your $75, but I was wrong." Sense of entitlement? Everyone ELSE has to pay, so why should I when *I* can get it for free? Secondly, "altruism" is great. Compassion is great, when YOUR OWN STUPIDITY isn't the CAUSE of YOUR OWN FUCKING PROBLEMS! At what point do YOU expect people to pull their own weight in society? At what point do YOU believe people should be personally accountable for their own actions or inactions? Where do you draw the line? What happens the next time a neighbor does the same thing and thinks, hey, he didn't have to pay for it, why should I? You see, Joel, the issue is much bigger than one person and one house. What if EVERYONE did what this guy did? There wouldn't be a fucking fire department to show up in the first place! Who expects service (sense of entitlement) and doesn't think they should have to pay for it? If the issue were as simple as just putting out the fire and having him pay up, I think they should have done it. I would have done it because I couldn't had stood watching innocent animals suffer in the worst way. Compassion and altruism are great when the person is not in a situation OF HIS OWN MAKING. People need to start accepting responsibility for the consequences of their actions.

• &#64;angry grandma and @Kristin: You are welcome. I felt a little sorry for him before watching the MSNBC and local news interviews. But now??? He waited for so long (couple of hours, his words not mine)to ask for help. And why the hell was he burning trash outside the house. I live in KY and we have had prohibitions against outdoor burning for weeks because of dry conditions. I am sure that TN has the same warnings out. That trailer was likely a wash before the firetruck arrived. It only takes 20 minutes for a trailer to burn to the ground. I will be looking forward to more developments on this one for sure. Surely property taxes in the county can be adjusted so as to avoid this in the future.

• &#64;joel - Read what I actually wrote, then get back to me with a specific point, if you have one.

• &#64;Kristen- Are you here on leave from the Ayn Rand Institute? Read Atlas Shrugs one too many times? Because only through ideology could you possibly rationalize away the fire department not saving a man's home and posessions over a 75.00 insurance fee. There seems to be a mass movement in this country that believes a small bit of altruism makes you a Bolshevick. Sadly, they are mistaken. Just imagine a society where all public services were suddenly privatized?

• Correction: He waited hours? Okay, that is a huge part of the blame on his shoulders then. That changes things quite a bit.

• Thank you for the information Caty. I had a feeling there was more to this story then we were reading. So in a way i was wrong and it had to do with not paying the fee. Some what. And when i'm wrong, i admit it. But then again, dude waited a few hours before even calling? And to knowingly said on TV that he knew he owed the fee and figured they would come anyways? Wow. How rude. But because his neighbors property was damaged due to his burn trash, they came to make sure no further damage was done to their subscribers property, this gives this guys son the right to punch the chief in the face? Wow. Can we say entitled? Again i feel bad for the animals. But i hope that this guy gets sued for damages from his neighbor. Again, rural you have less 'rules' then you do in the cities and outside burning is perfectly ok. and if your burning causes your house to go up in flames then who's at fault? Hell, if i had a fire, i would call 911 immediately THEN let the animals out THEN get the hose and attempt to start putting it out cuz i know it's gonna be a while for they get there! But i guess i'm not other people.

• "but please look at it from a volunteers point of view as well. Would you rush to a fire and help if you weren't getting paid? Of course not." I grew up in a small town, our fire department was pretty much all volunteer (I think we only had two full time paid people there, the rest volunteered) and yes, I expect people who volunteer to do something to do it. He had paid in the past. This was 75 dollars. Everything he owned including the roof over his head and his pets are gone over 75 dollars, there is no way that balances at all.

• &#64;angrygrandma: You are right, if the fire was burning outside for several hours, then moved to his trailer, by the time the firemen got there it was probably a total loss. He waited for so long because he had not paid his bill, and then only called when he was out of options. It really sucks. A county assessment on each piece of occupied property would have solved this whole situation before it began.

• Most epic fail ever!

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