Posted on 02/26/2011 10:36:44 AM PST by Stayfree
Thousands of firefighters in uniform on paid agency time came from different fire agencies all over Southern California to attend Glenn Allen's funeral bringing with them tens of millions of dollars of firefighting equipment, helicopters. Just the cost of fuel alone must have cost in the tens of thousands of dollars, notwithstanding the cost of salaries and accrued benefits of thousands of active duty firefighters. His funeral must have cost the taxpayers millions of dollars thanks to union rules that permit such a waste of taxpayer funds.
I personally mean no disrespect to his family, but if it were not for union rules, firefighters would have to attend funerals on their own time.
I personally mean no disrespect to his family, but if it were not for union rules, firefighters would have to attend funerals on their own time.
People shouldn’t get paid to attend a funeral, unless they work for a funeral home.
Unthinkable......
A few years ago, thousands of State, Federal, County, City police cars descended on Albuquerque for the funeral of two ABQ P.D. officers killed by a psycho. The rub is, three other civilians were also killed by that guy. No mention of them. Thousands of dollars of gas, overtime, plus the entire interstate system was clogged with emergency vehicles. A tremendous waste of money and time. While I feel bad for the families, their is NO WAY that any private enterprise could afford to do that every time an employee was killed. I saw police cars from every corner of the State of New Mexico participating. These people have no concept of money. Because they are spending other peoples money and that is very easy to do. Plus they enjoy far to much power, far to many pension benefits, and exemption from the laws that everybody else has to follow. It is time to trim back the power and money of the Federal, State, County, City, government. Vote “NO” to every bond issue. Go ahead... Vote in an irresponsible manner. I give you permission.
are you sure that they are being paid? If so, it’s a travesty. I’m all for honoring them when they die, but that’s a personal thing. Whoever is off that day can jump in a car and go honor the dead firefighter. We don’t need professional mourners.
This was such a tragic story - the man was one year from retirement and was killed by a falling roof in a burning building, and his beloved daughter gave birth to his awaited first grandchild the DAY AFTER he died.
I was sad along with all of L.A. But I did not know that the fellow firefighters were PAID to attend his funeral. That doesn’t seem right.
What happens when a soldier/marine etc dies? My grandad was a firefighter and to be honest, when one of them dies like that in the line of duty, I believe they are entitled to the same honour and respect as a serviceman who is KIA...
I do not have a problem with the local station he worked at performing a full funeral. It’s when the whole damn city shuts down.
I agree. Again, not wanting to be disrespectful, but police work and firefighting are not anywhere near the most dangerous occupations. Firefighting is 13th and police work is 10th with the most common cause of death being traffic accidents.
It still seems to be that the most important thing is who you are, as demonstrated by the aftermath of the Arizona shootings.
My comment was regarding the statement that thousands (or hundreds) of people were paid to attend. An honor guard is different, very different.
Pop Quiz: Name the other folks killed or wounded in the Giffords shooting Arizona.
EXACTLY
I don’t believe the Marine Corps shuts down when a fellow Marine’s life is lost. Marines don’t get paid to travel to area bases to pay respect. Some might attend in an official capacity as a part of a ceremony, i.e. a bagpiper, as part of a missing man formation overhead, and I’m sure their need to participate warrants being paid. And from what I know, the Marines rate their salary on rank and service. If there’s some grief pay or otherwise, I’d be surprised. I’ve never heard that. In fact, during our time on active duty, we often traveled to the “civilian” services *because* my husband felt there should at least be a few fellow squadron mates in attendance — even considering he’d already spoken to the family at the service held on base.
On a side note, I can’t even fathom the Marines having Union protection. What a riot that would be! But if *anyone* deserves to bleed the coffers of the gestapo, of our tax money, it *should* be the Marines.
“when one of them dies like that in the line of duty, I believe they are entitled to the same honour and respect as a serviceman who is KIA...”
Nonsense. A firefighter is doing a hazardous job, just like a farmer or a coal miner. He isn’t picking up a gun and literally saving the nation from a malevolent enemy hell-bent on killing us all.
And also...
This is just street theater prepping the citizens of California for our inevitable showdowns with the public employee unions. Since a firefighter died, we can’t cut the pensions of all the secretaries sitting around state agencies polishing their nails and the prison guards who make more than UC professors.
They’ve got themselves a martyr now.
“are you sure that they are being paid? If so, it’s a travesty.”
I’m afraid that’s probably true. I’ve heard several versions of the dialog below from the state workers over the years. “Are you going to Phil’s funeral on Saturday?”
“Saturday! Heck no. Why didn’t they hold in Friday or Monday so I could take the day off with pay?”
Military folks are not paid by the hour, do not get overtime and are on DUTY 24/7 unlike many cops and firefighters, that won't eat a donut without being paid.
There are exceptions to the rule {like 9-11} and being a cop or firefighter is no picnic, but they chose it.
The vast majority of cops, unlike TV never fire their weapons away from the target range and their biggest confrontation is breaking up bar fights and domestic events.
Where do you get this? Get real...
These people do a job like anyone else and they get paid really, really well, and have top shelf government benefits...
They have *nothing* to do with military veterans or veteran combat deaths...
Gezzzz
Well, my granddad was a firefighter in Britain from about 1950 to 1981, so he wasn’t paid particularly lavishly (in those days, having a job with a pension was lavish enough). But he did a job that involve going in to burning buildings and dragging people out on a fairly regular basis, risking death each time. Sure, it wasn’t exactly comparable to the military, because when they got off shift they could go home to their families and enjoy all the other benefits of civilian life, but when they are on duty, they are doing a dangerous and worthy job and some of them end up paying with their lives. My grandad watched his best friend fall to his death through the floor of a burning mill at one point, and eventually, he probably died as the result of a lot of the crap he inhaled in the days before there was proper breathing apparatus.
Like I said, I believe that firefighters, police etc who are killed in the line of duty are entitled to the same respect and honour as a serviceman who has also been killed in the line of duty. What you might consider about them when they are alive and unharmed is probably a bit different...
If you are trapped by flames in a burning building, he might be the one dragging your ass out of the flames. I can’t really see why that is a less worthy calling than picking up a gun and fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan..
People are killed performing their job duties all the time...Happens every single day regardless of profession.
Fact is fire department employees that belong to local governments are not veterans, and should not be treated as military veterans and in no way go through what military veterans do on a daily basis....Same with cops...
End of story...
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