Posted: 05 Oct 2010 06:30 PM PDT

Firefighters let Gene Cranick's house burn, pets die over $75.00 (video)

It may be time for South Fulton, Tennessee to rethink their policies on fire protection. A resident of Obion County, Tennessee, Gene Cranick, lost his home and pets to a fire because he forgot to pay the annual $75.00 fee for fire protection. Gene Cranick lives outside the South Fulton limits, therefore he must pay the South Fulton fire department the fee for protection. He didn't pay the fee, and he didn't get service.

Speaking with WTMA, Gene Cranick said, "I just forgot to pay my $75. "I did it last year, the year before. ... It slipped my mind."

The South Fulton fire department had no alternative programs in place, no charitable emergency organizations that would step in on a moment's notice and pay the fee, and apparently no desire to put out Gene Cranick's mobile home fire on behalf of the state of Tennessee. Instead, they followed orders and did nothing.

WTMA says the fire was eventually put out when a neighbor who had paid the fee called for service after the fire threatened their residence. Though the neighbor offered to pay for the department to extinguish the fire at Gene Cranick's mobile home, they refused.

What would South Fulton do if no one paid the fee? Would they let the whole city burn? There is no doubt that it is time for South Fulton or the state of Tennessee to rethink their policies regarding the pay or no spray policy.

You may see a video report with Gene Cranick and MSNBC's Keith Olbermann in the video player to the left.

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Pets get blessed at San Bernardino church - San Jose Mercury News

Posted: 04 Oct 2010 03:53 PM PDT

SAN BERNARDINO - Prayers and blessings were showered upon a congregation of families and their four-legged loved ones Monday in a pair of special ceremonies dedicated to honoring pets.

The Humane Society of San Bernardino Valley hosted its annual Blessing of the Animals to give thanks to the pets who have made a difference in people's lives.

Mary McCann of Yucaipa was in attendance to thank her dog and companion, Rusty, whom she credits for helping her get through a medication withdraw.

"He's my little savior," she said. "If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have kept going.

"He gave me a reason to get up every morning."

McCann adopted her dog, an almost 6-year-old male Miniature Pinscher/Pomeranian Mix, from the Yucaipa Placement Animal Society (Y.A.P.S.) in 2005.

"He was in the system up until I adopted him," she said. "It was an instant connection and I sometimes think he feels he's the human and I'm the pet."

Carmen and Frank Uhalley of Fontana also attended to have to have their dog, Katie Marie, blessed.

"We came here last year and it was a beautiful ceremony," said Carmen Uhalley. "This year, we're here for her. She's not doing well."

Their dog has Evans Syndrome, a fatal blood disease. She was diagnosed in March, the couple said.

"She was given to us by a neighbor and she goes everywhere with us," said Frank Uhalley. "She's like our daughter."

Both services were led by Rev.

Elwood K. Hall of Lutheran Church of Our Savior in San Bernardino. Hall said he has performed these types of services for more than 20 years.

Monday's event included prayers, readings and a procession of animals. Individual blessings for pets were offered as well.

"This is a very important event for the community so they can come out and recognize their pets," said Heather L. Clark, development and volunteer coordinator for the Humane Society. "For many in attendance and our staff, animals are not just pets, they're family."

Family's Home Burns After Not Paying Fire Fee - New American

Posted: 07 Oct 2010 08:47 AM PDT

Tennessee firefighters in Obion County allowed a family's home to burn to the ground last week because the family had not paid a $75 fee.

Since Obion County does not have a county-wide firefighting service, South Fulton offers fire coverage to the county residents for a fee of $75, a policy that dates back nearly 30 years. The Cranick family allegedly "forgot" to pay the fee, and as a result, lost their belongings, as well as their pets — three dogs and a cat.

The fire began when Gene Cranick's grandson was burning trash on the property. According to Fox News, the grandson, who lived in the Cranick home, "started the fire while burning trash in a barrel. He went inside to take a shower and upon returning saw a shed next to the house in flames. It spread despite his efforts to put it out with a garden hose."

The grandson, Lance Cranick, says, "This is something that I've got to live with the rest of my life. To see the house and everything you grew up in burning down before your eyes is kind of harsh."

Lance Cranick explained that South Fulton would not respond to the fire when he called, claiming he was told, "We wasn't on their list."

"I was in shock," he said.

When speaking to the operator, Cranick offered to pay whatever fee was necessary in order to have firefighters come to his home to put out the fire, but his offer was denied.

Firefighters did arrive, but only to stop the fire from spreading to the neighboring property, whose owner had paid the fire fee.

South Fulton Mayor David Crocker asserts, "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."

However, Harold Schaitberger of the International Association of Firefiighters sees the decision to allow the home to burn as "incredibly irresponsible."

"Professional, career firefighters shouldn't be forced to check a list before running out the door to see which homeowners have paid up. They get in their trucks and go."

South Fulton's mayor, however, claimed that residents cannot be permitted to pay the fee on the spot, as then the only people who would pay the fee are those whose homes are on fire.

Addressing the media's vilification of the South Fulton fire department, conservative pundit Glenn Beck defended the department on his radio show:

Here's the thing that those who are just acting on raw feeling are not going to understand. It's $75 at the beginning of the year. You pay it and they put your house it. If you don't pay it, they don't put your house out. If the firefighters put out the Cranick's home even though they didn't pay the fee, nobody would ever pay the $75. The fire department doesn't have the money to put out people's fires for free. What is the $75 for? To keep the firemen available. To keep the firetrucks running. To have people employed to put the fire out. If you don't pay your $75, that hurts the fire department. They can't use those resources and you would be sponging off of your neighbor's $75. This is the same case for paying health insurance fees.

Similarly, National Review, came to the defense of the fire department, contending that the incident would likely serve as an "important lesson," and will probably "save more houses over the long haul. I know that if I opted out of the program before, I would be more likely to opt-in now. As Edmund Burke said, example is the school of mankind and he will learn from no other."

Evidently, Cranick's son did not agree with such rationale, as he was later arrested for attacking Fire Chief David Wilds at the firehouse for allowing his father's home to burn down.

Now living in a trailer home on his property, Gene Cranick indicates that his homeowner's insurance will cover some of what was lost.

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

Cranick's wife, Paulette, has stated that she does not blame the firefighters for allowing her home to burn, asserting that they were simply following orders and admitting that they simply forgot to pay the fee.

"You can't blame them if they have to do what the boss says to do. I've had firemen call and apologize."

The community has offered its help to the Cranick family, but the family graciously turned down the offers, as they are receiving help from their insurance company.

Local news station ABC 7 reports that the Obion County Budget Committee had decided to expand its subscription-only fire service to additional towns.

Union City Fire Department Chief Kelly Edmison objects to the expansion, however, supporting instead a 13-cent increase in property taxes, which is allegedly all it would take to fund fire services for towns within the county.

Edmison adds, "It eliminates this having 911 or whoever check to say, 'Are they covered or not covered?' "

Photo: Gene Cranick near his burning home in South Fulton, Tenn: AP Images

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Friday, October 8, 2010

“Firefighters let Gene Cranick's house burn, pets die over $75.00 (video) - Examiner” plus 2 more

“Firefighters let Gene Cranick's house burn, pets die over $75.00 (video) - Examiner” plus 2 more

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