It was always my dream to become a fireman when I grew up but
sadly I had to abandon the ambition upon realizing I would never
grow up. Fire is a hissing fiend imbedded in the warp of nature,
ever threatening the cities men dare to build. This angry agent of
carnage must be faced down by agents of courage. Extraordinary men
and women step forward to hold the line against the encroaching
enemy, fighting fire with fire in their hearts and what tools they
can summon to hand.
Sometimes the day is not won without warriors falling in
battle. Too often they are victims of “friendly fire,” paying for
the folly of their peers who ignite in ignorance or keep
combustible items in dangerous locales. Our firefighters are heroes
who show mettle worth a thousand medals.
All this makes the current situation kind of sad, because
the hook and ladder boys are on the hook in rural Tennessee. Folks
are upset at the South Fulton Fire Department for standing by and
watching a house burn down. The story
in brief is this: there are several farmhouses outside the South
Fulton city limits which are not within the purview of any city or
county fire department. As a service, South Fulton will take
responsibility for those properties if the owners pay an annual fee
of $75.
A few days ago, the Cranick family called to say their
house was beginning to burn. The neighbor called in as well. There
was a difference, though: the neighbor was up to date with the fee
but the Cranicks were behind, although they had paid in the past.
The trucks went out to the area, standing by to protect the paying
customer, but with nary a droplet of water to spare for the
laggard. The house pretty much burned to the ground while the
firemen held their water.
As a postscript to news reports on the story, they mention
that the elder Cranick’s son was arrested for aggravated assault on
the fire chief. Frankly, this strikes me as a rare case where the
aggravation mitigates the assault. The fire department turned the
arrear into an affront, and got everything all
backwards.
A debate has begun raging among political theorists, all
anxious to see this as a shibboleth for contemporary mores.
Liberals are angry at the idea of letting people suffer as a
consequence of their negligence. Conservatives are divided. Some
folks enjoy scoffing at scofflaws and beating up on deadbeats. They
won’t pray for the fate of people who don’t pay their freight.
Others say that when life and property are being destroyed,
morality compels intervention: the math can be sorted out in the
aftermath.
In Jewish terms, any time a man is willing to work
alongside you now to help himself, you have an obligation to help
him deal with his current crisis. If it costs you time from work,
or if the service you provide is one you sell for a living, or if
you use materials on his behalf, you can bill him to recover that
expense. The only exception to this rule is when the man lit the
fire himself intentionally and then changes his mind.
It seems fairly clear to me that the American experience
has led to the correct approach in the form of our system of
emergency-room care. We accept people who have not bought insurance
and offer them full treatment, then we send an invoice with
the force of law. This should have been applied to the fire as
well. The fire should have been extinguished and the homeowner
charged for the investment of manpower, services and materials. In
fact, this should be publicized in advance: you either pay $75 for
the year or $500 an hour when the men have to make a house
call.
This is where our fearless men with the triangle hats
failed to figure all the angles. A neighbor approached them with an
open checkbook and offered to pay the full price if only they
sprayed the wealth. Instead they stood by. That is when the mind
must rule; never mind the rules. This is not a case where there is
some virtue in going by the book. There comes a time, my friends,
as Ecclesiastes might have said, when you have to burn the
book.
