On the other hand, the fire department had to see that non-payment of the fee would eventually lead to just such an outcome, and a public relations disaster as well. What they should have had in place is a two-tier pricing system for fire supression: a $75 fee to cover future need, or a fee-for-service in case that fee isn’t paid.

Sadly, the winner in this story is the fire department, because nothing more happened than the burning of a house. Had someone died in the fire, this would be another matter, and Fischer’s viewpoint would have been completely different.

The fire department did the right and Christian thing. The right thing, by the way, is also the Christian thing, because there can be no difference between the two. The right thing to do will always be the Christian thing to do, and the Christian thing to do will always be the right thing to do.

Good Samaritans not withstanding….

From the second post:

What would Jesus do? That’s easy. He’d tell Mr. Cranick, “Man up, accept full and total responsibility, and don’t blame anybody but yourself for what happened. That’s the Christian thing to do. And next time, Gene, pay the 75 bucks, all right?”

And he’d say to my Christian critics, “Hey, it’s time to realize that Mr. Cranick has no one to blame but himself. And nobody’s stopping you from sending him a contribution to help him build a new home. What do you think about that? Instead of whining about how hard-hearted everybody else is, why don’t you man up and send the man some money to help him rebuild his house? That’d be the Christian thing to do right there. Any takers?”

Frankly, I think Jesus would have put out the fire and then asked for the $75 dollars from community supporters if not Cranick himself and called it a wash. It would certainly have been less chaotic and harrowing than letting the house burn and certainly cheaper.

Maybe Fischer will contribute a fair amount so the man can rebuild.

I hadn’t heard of such fees in effect now. I thought that all went the way of the dinosaurs when insurance companies quit having private fire-fighting companies and if you didn’t have their sticker in your window they wouldn’t put out the fire.

…

On the other hand, the fire department had to see that non-payment of the fee would eventually lead to just such an outcome, and a public relations disaster as well. What they should have had in place is a two-tier pricing system for fire supression: a $75 fee to cover future need, or a fee-for-service in case that fee isn’t paid.

Sadly, the winner in this story is the fire department, because nothing more happened than the burning of a house. Had someone died in the fire, this would be another matter, and Fischer’s viewpoint would have been completely different.