MARION COUNTY, Tenn. — A neighborhood community met Thursday night to try to convince the local fire department to respond to emergency calls. It ended with a shouting match, an abrupt adjournment and no fire coverage.
Times Free Press reported that by the end of the meeting nothing changed. If a fire occurs in the Jasper Highlands neighborhood, no fire department will respond.
Edward Moriarty, a career firefighter, was shocked to find out that his new neighborhood had no fire protection when his car caught fire. He called 911 but no one arrived.
The subdivision is under construction and is in the process of building its own volunteer fire department, which should be ready in six months. In the meantime, it is looking for help from its closest neighboring community.
“We’re asking for some help,” Thunder Enterprises President Dane Bradshaw said. “Can we have that benefit (of paying taxes) for six months that you guys can vote us in? And if in six months we don’t do our part, the coverage stops. Could we make that motion?”
The issue was discussed for 40 minutes and the council later voted ‘no.’
According to the state fire marshal’s coverage map, Jasper Highlands falls under the Foster Falls domain. Last summer, Foster Falls (Tenn.) Volunteer Fire Department voted to take out Jasper Highlands from its coverage area.
A Foster Falls firefighter said it would take 29 minutes for a fire truck to get from the Foster Falls department to Jasper Highlands. If the department responds to a fire in Jasper Highlands, and there’s a fire in Foster falls, then the department wouldn’t be able to respond to that fire.
One of the issues is that the Jasper Highlands area cannot enter mutual-aid agreements with other departments without a home fire department, which it was asking Foster Falls to serve as.
“When we have the Jasper Highlands Volunteer Fire Department, we will provide the mutual aid for your 648 homes,” John Thornton, the Jasper Highlands developer, said. “And we’ll be proud to come over here and help you with fire.”
One community member yelled that they don’t want his fire department’s help.
Community members said Thornton, who gave Foster Falls a fire truck as a gift, bribed the department. He said he gave them the rig before construction began on Jasper Highlands.
The council voted for the department to give the truck back to Thornton.
“I don’t want it,” Thornton yelled, throwing up his hands.
The fate of the truck is unknown and Thornton said he was upset that the community wasn’t able to help them for six months until their neighborhood firehouse is built.