If a fire breaks out in your home, how close are you to the nearest fire station? What agency will respond, and how long will it take before they get there?
These are some questions Dickson City Fire Marshal Robbie Street said are common among homeowners. But he said there is an easy way to find out these answers: Call your local fire station or contact your insurance company.
Two weeks ago, a home on Iron Hill Road burned to the ground before firefighters could put out the flames. The primary agency to respond to the fire was Dickson County Fire and Rescue Squad, a volunteer group tasked with covering any area outside municipal boundaries — the cracks that fall between all 490 square miles of the county.
It’s a big job, but it’s not a big department, and they can’t be everywhere at once. Thankfully, there are several other agencies responsible for the most habited areas of the county. But who covers your home?
Burns Volunteer Fire Department Chief Melvin Sullivan told the Burns council that he received dozens of phone calls following the Iron Hill fire, asking why Burns wasn’t the primary responder. They have a Burns mailing address, but aren’t within Burns city limits, Sullivan said.
“Some people get confused about coverage. They think they have a service that they don’t,” he said.
Homeowners that live within city limits pay city taxes, which gives them access to city services such as police and fire. But for those that live just outside a city’s boundaries, things get a little more complicated.
Homeowners within a five-mile radius of any fire station in White Bluff, Burns or Dickson can subscribe to Rural Fire Service for an annual fee. This effectively gives them city fire service coverage even if they don’t live within the city’s limits.
White Bluff Fire Chief Eric Deal said the town began offering the service five years ago because they were repeatedly responding to fire calls outside the city’s limits.
“It got to the point where it wasn’t fair to the taxpayers — footing the bill for the fire department to go on fire calls outside the city limits,” he said.
Residents interested in signing onto the service can contact their local City Hall or fire station for more information, Deal said. White Bluff’s subscription service is $150 annually.
Burns and Dickson’s price is based on a percentage value of your home. Street said it could cost a few hundred dollars a year, but enhancing your fire coverage lowers your home insurance costs, he said.
“We’re staffed 24-7, 365 days a year, and our Insurance Service Organization rating is lower than if you live outside the city,” he said. “If you’ve got coverage with us, usually that makes your insurance lower. So that’s a reason a lot of people subscribe to us.”
Most homeowners that don’t live in the city, or within the five-mile radius of the subscription service, still live within the coverage areas of the five rural volunteer fire departments scattered across the county — Claylick, Cumberland Furnace, Tennessee City, Yellow Creek and Harpeth Ridge. These departments are paid for by tax dollars and through fundraisers, and are staffed by volunteers.
Still, there are other areas of the county that don’t fall under any of the above services.
“There are areas throughout the county, such as south of the interstate, Abiff, Spencer Mill, a lot of those places don’t have a volunteer department near them, so that would be covered by the rescue squad alone,” Street said.
“We don’t run wrecks outside the city or for medical calls, unless we’re asked for assistance, we have mutual aid agreements,” he said. “But as far as fire coverage, we don’t go (outside city limits) unless they’re a subscriber to our service.”
(which usually leads to Guts' life ending up a lot more complicated) That Puck emoticon so fits this whole situation. 