All regular fire departments, as opposed to volunteer fire departments, either work 24 hours on and 24 hours off, with one day off every other week, meaning when they get a day off it is sandwiched between 2 days they were off anyway, so they get 3 days off in a row; or 24 on and 48 off, meaning their day off gives them 5 days in a row off. That means they work 4 days out of 15. In addition, with most, the fireman's job is their retirement and they make the real money doing other things on their frequent days off. Also, while they are "working", they are mostly playing cards, dominoes, probably computer games now, ,or sleeping. Well, they do have to cook for themselves or order something delivered, but they are provided with well equipped kitchens to do the job.
They have ample training to do what they do and they perform their duties, just as policemen do, with self-protection and the protection of their team members as their upper most priority. They like to say they are there to serve but those they are serving are not #1.
The military are the same in the training and volunteering aspect, and in that only a few actually engage an enemy. Yet, in all these fields we want to have the best and the most dedicated and we want them to be at their best when the time comes to do their duty. That is why it disgust many of us when we see fat law enforcement officers.. Funny, but in my experience I never see fat firemen, and they should be the fattest, nor fat military people. It is always fat policemen. That cause a loss of respect for law enforcement.
I should also include teachers in my group of people who should receive fair pay and lots of respect, for, like the others, they are very important for our society. But like the others, though they are appreciated for their dedication (for those who really are dedicated), the crying about their being overworked and underpaid should fall on deaf ears.
>Having also been up close and personal with police work, firemen and the military, I agree with you! All should be paid a fair wage for their duties and all do occasionally face danger. The vast majority of them don’t. They all know their duties and job descriptions before they sign on for it. They all volunteer to do what they do.<
I liked your post. I think you have some very valid points. But there is one thing I would like to add if I may. I signed up for my job, at a wage that was pitiful. But I was okay with that. I didn’t mind doing it for what i was paid. But I saw teachers making over 3 times what I made and they certainly never faced what i did. The worst part of everything I have experienced is that when I was hurt bad enough, I was just tossed aside. Forced to retire and my family was screwed for support.
My bad life decision of doing what I thought was right did not pay off for them. There should have been more done to take care of my family. Many times I have grappled the reality that they would have been much better off financially had I been killed on the job instead of left for dead.