[Vermont Lt]

Have you ever run into a burning building? How about doing it every three months.

I don’t do it.

These guys actually save lives. They don’t hassle you for driving through town. They send paramedics to save life’s.

I say, dedicate all of the money generated by the cops to the local fire department.

You cannot pay them enough.

[ShadowAce]

Have you ever run into a burning building? How about doing it every three months.

What's more dangerous is responding to a rescue call on the freeway (with an entrapment). That happens much more frequently.

[Moonman62]

Have you ever run into a burning building? How about doing it every three months. I don’t do it. These guys actually save lives. They don’t hassle you for driving through town. They send paramedics to save life’s. I say, dedicate all of the money generated by the cops to the local fire department. You cannot pay them enough.

If all that's true, then let the market determine their wages. I see openings for police officer all the time, but not fireman, at least where I live.

[ansel12]

Fireman is not a dangerous job, so why are so many of the posts here depending on that non-existent emotional hook, for one of the most sought after jobs in America?

Yes I've run into burning buildings, don't you realize that many, if not most guys love that stuff, firemen have about the best job around, and that is why there is so much competition for the job, too bad that since the government can unionize against us now, they have become overpaid and too powerful in running our cities.

WORKPLACE DEATHS NATIONALLY (Average 3.5)

Over the past 35 years, the number of fires in the United States has fallen by more than 40% while the number of career firefighters has increased by more than 40%

he decline of demand has created a problem for firefighters. What Fred McChesney wrote some 10 years ago is even more true today:

Taxpayers are unlikely to support budget increases for fire departments if they see firemen lolling about the firehouse. So cities have created new, highly visible jobs for their firemen. The Wall Street Journal reported recently, “In Los Angeles, Chicago and Miami, for example, 90% of the emergency calls to firehouses are to accompany ambulances to the scene of auto accidents and other medical emergencies. Elsewhere, to keep their employees busy, fire departments have expanded into neighborhood beautification, gang intervention, substitute-teaching and other downtime pursuits.” In the Illinois township where I live, the fire department drives its trucks to accompany all medical emergency vehicles, then directs traffic around the ambulance—a task which, however valuable, seemingly does not require a hook-and-ladder.
Here’s some data. Note that medical calls dwarf fire calls. Twenty five years ago false alarms were half the number of fires, today false alarms significantly exceed the number of fires.

According to Nightline it costs $3,500 every time a fire truck pulls out of a fire station in Washington, DC (25 calls in a 24 hour shift is not uncommon so this adds up quickly). Moreover, most of the time the call is not for a fire but for a minor medical problem. In many cities, both fire trucks and ambulances respond to the same calls. The paramedics do a great job but it is hard to believe that this is an efficient way to deliver medical care and transportation.