The Associated Press has a blurb this afternoon about the type of story which shocked and appalled many last year but is probably becoming or about to become the norm in more rural areas of the country.
SOUTH FULTON, Tenn. (AP) — A Tennessee couple has lost everything after their home burned to the ground as firefighters watched and did nothing.
Vicky Bell told WPSD-TV that she called 911 when her mobile home in Obion County caught fire. Firefighters responded but did not put out the blaze because she does not subscribe to the local fire service (http://bit.ly/t639Wo ).
Bell says she could "look out my mom's trailer and see the trucks sitting at a distance."
Rural residents who want fire protection can get service from the nearby town of South Fulton, but they must pay a $75-a-year fee. South Fulton Mayor David Crocker said that if the city's firefighters responded to people who didn't pay there would be no incentive for anyone to subscribe. He said firefighters will help when people are in danger, regardless of whether they have paid.
