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Letter to the Editor:
I was just wondering if, in the future, you might be able to list garbage pickup days for the twin cities for those weeks consisting of a holiday. If you already do that, I must have missed it. The week of Memorial Day, garbage pickup was a day late. Because of this, I automatically assumed it would be a day late this last week. Our trash is scheduled to be picked up on Friday, July 4th, so because it was a day late on the previous holiday, I didn't put mine out until Friday night. Of course, this week, I assume they picked up on schedule because mine is still sitting by the road full. I read Fulton Kentucky News everyday, and do not get the local newpaper. If this could be added as part of your weekly info, I think all who read on a daily basis will really benefit from this added feature.
Your consideration of this feature would greatly be appreciated by me and I'm sure many others. Thank you,
Cheryl Dallas
South Fulton, TN 38257
(Editors Note- We will contact Barker Brothers to obtain a pickup schedule, and will publish the information before the next holiday) |
To the Editor,
I am a former resident of Fulton & and I was outraged to hear that the South Fulton Fire Department chose not the respond to the house fire because of “policy”. I understand they implemented the rural fire protection fee to offset costs but in the grand scheme of things the fire department should respond regardless of whether someone has paid. The South Fulton City Hall apparently cost millions so it’s really sad that they are worrying about a measly $75 fire fee. My parents live outside the South Fulton city limits & my children and my niece often spend the night with them. I hope my parents have not overlooked their payment but if they had and my babies were trapped in their home because the fire department didn’t respond, $75 would be the last thing the City of South Fulton would have the worry about!
As long as a homeowner has insurance, the fire department should charge more for their services to the insurance company if the fee had not been paid. I remember in 1992, five days before my graduation, Fulton responded to our house fire and it was contained to the kitchen. I was only 18 years old and grateful that we didn’t lose everything we owned. We lived 5 miles from the fire station, they were there within minutes & there was never any question about whether my parents paid a fee or not. The Fire Department came & did what they were paid to do.
I have known Fire Chief Tommy Smith my entire life & have always known him to be a dedicated fire fighter. I was shocked and disappointed however to hear how callous he was about not responding to fire. South Fulton needs to re-evaluate their current policy because the way it is right now it is unacceptable.
Times are hard for everyone right now & many people may not pay the fee due to financial strains. If city policy continues to remain then my suggestion is for the city to charge $6.25 on every water bill in the county so that over 12 months, the fee will be paid in full and everyone will be satisfied.
Jennifer (Graddy) Jones
Paducah, KY |
To the Editor,
We own the house next to the house that burned down on Lakeview Drive. It was 50 minutes from the time the first phone calls were made until the So. Fulton fire department arrived, NOT 15 minutes. I'm sure the firefighters wanted to save Mr. Cruse's house, but they were told NOT to respond by the city management.
If not for my son Ryan, Brother David Bayer, David McDaniel, Linda & Corky Adams, and good neighbors using garden hoses, our house and the houses on the other side and back would have also been destroyed. We thank these people (heroes to us) for saving us from a catastrophe. We've lost too much in this life already and did not need any more disasters.
The policy of the fire department must be changed. We have always paid our Rural Fire "Protection" fee but this was NOT protection : waiting until our house caught fire until the fire department was dispatched to our street.
Linda and Gary McDaniel
South Fulton, TN |
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To The Editor,
I grew up in the City of Fulton and was rather involved in school extracurricular activities and in the city as well. Being part of the Explorer program with South Fulton Fire Department for one year and Fulton Fire/EMS and Police departments for four years, I was let in on a lot of small yet important things that the public eye doesn't see on a day to day basis. For example, not too long ago, I remember the Fulton Fire Department coming under heavy criticism for their “unsatisfactory” response time to a fire. When I heard of this news I knew that the blame was not to be put on the fire department because I knew of the routine that is taken when a 911 call is received by the dispatcher in Fulton.
The point I am making is that people do not realize exactly how much criticism the public services of both Fulton and South Fulton get for doing their jobs to the best of their ability. You can't seriously believe that the brave men and women of the surrounding area fire departments wanted to sit back and watch a fellow citizen's home burn completely. They cannot help that city ordinances had restricted them from doing what they are so rigorously trained to do. On the other hand, I do have to disagree with the very blunt way that Fire Chief Smith explained that the situation at hand should be a lesson to the local citizens. However, sadly enough that is exactly what this is. Take September 11, 2001 for example. Changes in America's security were forced to be made because of that disastrous day in order to protect us from future harm. 9/11 was the exact same instance that is being discussed now. It is very unfortunate that something of such severity had to occur so we as people can go about preventing future incidents such as this from happening.
Think about the consequences that would have come from the situation if the fire department had responded to fire as soon as the call was paged out, and then charged the homeowner for the labor, cost of fuel, and any other expenses that go into fighting a fire. The result would be people becoming angry and calling it ridiculous that the fire department would give such a high price bill to a family who had just lost virtually everything for a service the firefighters are paid to do.
Either way, the local fire department would receive great criticism of the unfortunate situation and all because of politics. The Twin Cities Emergency Services should be commended for what they do, not criticized for something that is out of their hands. So what if a local police officer gives you a speeding ticket when you were going 44 mph in a 35 mph zone. At least you know he is out doing his job. So what if you have to pay a monthly fee for ambulance services. When you are in the time of emergency medical assistance at least you have the personal satisfaction that your bill will not be as high as it could have been.
Being from Fulton originally, I am not going to attempt to give my opinion of what I feel should be done with this situation as far as city government goes. I believe that the people of South Fulton, their city council and the public services can work together to resolve this issue themselves because they are perfectly capable of doing so. They are also most definitely capable of doing so without great influence from the citizens of Fulton and especially city government officials of Fulton.
Commending the Twin Cities Emergency Services for a job well done,
Andrew Atwill
MCB Camp Pendleton, California
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To the Editor,
I live in Franklin TN but come to Fulton once a month to visit my Mother, Ms. Molly King that is in Haws Memorial Nursing Center. I was shocked when my sister, Norma McClanahan told me B. Marcum Restaurant had closed.
Fulton doesn’t have many good places to eat anymore and B. Marcum was one of the only places you could take a guest, get a good meal and set and talk and visit. I sure hope they find another place to open their business in Fulton. I will miss B. Marcum’s very much. I am so sorry they were forced to close their restaurant. That is another “black eye” for Fulton.
Sincerely,
Eleanor Hargis
Franklin, TN
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Your Opinion!!
Fulton Kentucky News welcomes letters to the editor. If you would like to address any issues of local interest, this is your opportunity to share your views. All letters are welcome. The editor reserves the right to reject letters or edit for clarity, brevity, good taste and accuracy, and to prevent libel. No attacks on private individuals, or letter-writing campaigns, please. Due to the volume of mail, writers are asked to limit submissions to one letter every month.
All letters must contain your name, address, and telephone number. (Street address and phone will not be published) Please send letters to editor@fultonkynews.com , or mail to P.O. Box 1241, Fulton, KY 42041.
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