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Toledo Edison [FirstEnergy] Plays Scrooge or Worse

Who believed that story [or spin] that FirstEnergy wove after the fire on Lyman killed a mother and her three children? The part about 'the power was expected to be restored yesterday morning.' As we recalled, Toledo Edison shut off power to the home hours before the fire started because the family — who moved in last month — failed to set up an account. At the time of the blaze the family was without heat or electricity.

The power was expected to be restored.... What a line of bull! I know of another family, 7 children, a mother and grandmother who live on Tecumseh St. whose power was turned off by Toledo Edison two weeks ago. They have a small kerosene heater in one room which has sheets nailed to the wall to keep the heat [and fumes] in that room. They huddle there to keep warm. linktext

That same Toledo Edison who 'expected to restore power that morning' has not yet, as of 9 AM Tuesday, not restored power to this Tecumseh St, house even though the mother paid the bill on Friday.

Scrooge? No, worse than that!

created by Man_with_the_muck_rake on Dec 04, 2007 at 10:12:47 am     Comments: 15

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Comments ... #

Maybe criminal negligence. Or a civil suit.

Obviously they don't know how to run a business. Dead customers don't use electricity. And the surviving ones generally lose confidence in your company's integrity.

What ever happened to the talk of a community run (co/op) electric utility? You don't have to pay executives 6 or 7 figures to wear a suit and look purty, you can provide less expensive services to businesses and families, and most importantly the public utility is under public control. No sane caring person would put their neighbor in harms way like this.

posted by charlatan on Dec 04, 2007 at 04:30:34 pm     #



So because your electricity gets shut off, your ability to use and supervise the use of candles goes away? That story sounded fishy to me from the start. How does a grown man and woman sleeping in the same room when a fire starts, only sees the man live? You're telling me that he didn't know/see/feel his wife in the same room but could find his way outside?

Using the "Evil Toledo Edison" theory, I'm waiting for my gas to be shut off so I can build a campfire in my livingroom to heat water. When my house burns down, I'll put together a lawsuit against the water department. It's their fault.

What happened was a tragedy, but that guy has been all over the news telling his story and did not have one single tear in his eye. How can you lose your entire family and partner and not shead one tear? I'm waiting for the autopsy reports on everyone. I cannot comprehend that is I was sleeping in my livingroom with my partner and woke up to a fire, running outside without checking the rest of my family, then, being able to get back inside and still not finding one single body to bring outside.

No, it's easier to blame Toledo Edison so they can keep stringing non-paying customers along and transfer the financial burden to the paying customers. I predict by spring time there will be so much money from unpaid accounts, Toledo Edison will be pushing hard for a rate increase due to all the money lost on unpaid accounts.

posted by tommy1 on Dec 04, 2007 at 06:48:27 pm     #



Your not alone tommy, I wondered the same things. The family will have died from smoke inhalation. That will prove nothing. I would be getting my family out or die trying.

posted by swantucky on Dec 04, 2007 at 06:59:00 pm     #



tommy1- that's quite a conspiracy theory you have going. I find your final conclusion rather interesting. Apparently I lost track of the logic which led there.

posted by Man_with_the_muck_rake on Dec 04, 2007 at 11:02:20 pm     #



FirstEnergy is a business, not a charity. As it stands, it DOES do charity work, with neighbor assistance, HEAP, deferred billing, and other payment arrangements. It also accepts coordination with social-work agencies.

So how is FirstEnergy responsible for this, again? Does FirstEnergy have to provide candle and kerosene-heater training for those who are not their customers?

As for an energy co-op, Kucinich's experience shows that it's almost impossible to setup any such thing in Ohio. The capitalists run the energy companies and no amount of effort at the urban level is going to change that. Even if you did somehow get all those poor people and corrupt politicians to actually wrest control of the resources and infrastructure of electricity generation and distribution from the company that owns them, the company will plant so many poison pills in the matter that the co-op will just fail down the road anyway.

Like many things in Toledo, this just comes down to self defense. While too many of your neighbors are morons who start fires and/or waste electricity (witness the huge use of exterior lighting on homes, YEAR ROUND!), you don't have to be. Consume electricity modestly and keep educated about alternatives and conservation. If you learn to live with less, then FirstEnergy can implement huge rate hikes and not so adversely affect you. Let the morons hang, since they are largely unsalvageable anyway; be smarter and at least enjoy not being burned out of your home and family. Be smarter and enjoy your modest lighting and even more modest electric bills, while your moron co-workers weep over their huge bills (gotta light up the house for Xmas so that it's visible from space!).

posted by GuestZero on Dec 05, 2007 at 01:44:37 am     #



GuestZero- I'm sure that everyone enjoyed your moralizing as well as your defense of FirstEngergy business practices. Surely you have added quite a lot to this discussion.

posted by Man_with_the_muck_rake on Dec 05, 2007 at 11:55:31 am     #



I see it now. When the utility company calls to collect on late payments with a threat of being shut off, you can just use the "What, do you want me to burn my house down and kill my family if you shut me off?" excuse.

Or, just call "Man with the muck rake", he seems to have all the answers

posted by tommy1 on Dec 05, 2007 at 06:11:13 pm     #



Not at all, Tommy, but I don't shoot off my mouth and say essentially nothing worthwhile about the topic.

posted by Man_with_the_muck_rake on Dec 05, 2007 at 09:30:43 pm     #



Muck_rake, can you please point out the government document where FirstEnergy registered as a charity? I eagerly await your information.

posted by GuestZero on Dec 06, 2007 at 03:02:55 am     #



Clever challenge, GuestZero, but clearly a base level debate 'tactic.'

posted by Man_with_the_muck_rake on Dec 06, 2007 at 08:54:06 am     #



It appears that even the Blade has an opinion on the topic...

posted by MaggieThurber on Dec 06, 2007 at 12:22:12 pm     #



WOW, that puts a whole different perspective on it. I still believe that Edison could do things differently when it comes to turn offs during adverse weather, maybe not in this matter, but in others including my own major run in with them. But if the candle that caused the fire was purposely left burning for aroma therapy and not light as we all thought, as much as it's still a horrible tragedy, it does put a different perspective on things.

posted by justsimplyholly on Dec 06, 2007 at 02:04:43 pm     #



Darn, there goes my master plan at blowing off my electric bill and using the money for stuffing my face.

posted by tommy1 on Dec 06, 2007 at 05:07:58 pm     #



It wasn't even clever, Muckie. It's not even a tactic. It's just a clear statement that you are trying to impose charity characteristics upon a for-profit enterprise ... which itself DOES have a modest range of charity programs. So, what exactly are you saying? That FirstEnergy should disincorporate and reincorporate as a charity?

It's a fairly simple question in plain English. Why won't you answer it, Muckie? Your initial posting indicated that FirstEnergy should have done something ... but that "something" could only have been charity. Is that stark fact what's causing you to dodge the question?

(Gamers call this moment "pwnage", as in "I just pwned you, Muckie".)

posted by GuestZero on Dec 06, 2007 at 10:22:57 pm     #



The item that is overlooked in this tragic story is that the family moved in to the home never putting the electric into their name which is what caused the shut off to occur. I don't know about anyone else but one of the first things I do when I move into a new residence is transfer utilities into my name. They were leaching off the previous tenant and racking up a huge bill in their name. So the reason for Edison's disconnection was theft of service.

I don't feel to bad about the adults in that situation but my heart breaks for the children.

I agree with some of the previous post, there is something fishy with the guy who lived. How he comes out of the fire alone with no one else I just don't understand.

posted by imacableguy on Dec 06, 2007 at 11:35:25 pm     #