TN Chief Declines Response to Interstate Vehicle Fires

Citing budget constraints, the Battle Creek Volunteer Fire Department chief is declining to respond to vehicle fires on the nearby interstate.

According to a report published by WSMV-TV Channel 4, Battle Creek Fire Chief Eddie Haggard said his department’s entire budget for the year would be wiped out in a month if he responded to all the car fires on I-24 in Marion County on Monteagle Mountain.

Having taken the job as the chief just last year, Haggard told the television station that he implemented the policy for financial reasons.

"People do need help. But, we can't cover the world. And I-24 is the world,” Haggard told WSMV. He added that if a car or vehicle catches fire on the interstate in his jurisdiction, “it’s gonna burn.”

The issue came to light after a charter bus carrying Marines caught fire on Sept. 5 and Haggard declined to send apparatus to fight the fire, the station reported. State and county authorities were baffled about the situation and asked a neighboring fire department to respond. The bus was a total loss.

Haggard told the TV station the department’s charter only covers homes in the region and one highway and he is not obligated to respond to fires on the interstate that connect Nashville and Chattanooga.

The station reported that Battle Creek firefighters and equipment will if there’s entrapment.

“If you’re trapped, we roll. No question,” Haggard told the TV station.

Asked if it was just a vehicle fire with no entrapment, Haggard said; “It’s gonna burn.”