Funny, isn’t it, how budget shortfalls always require cuts to police and fire departments, instead of say to bureaucrats or daycare workers or city council secretaries?
Police and Fire departments are bureaucracies.
We got along fine for 400 years with out police departments. You got stuff? You protect it. And, you protect you and yours.
Fire ‘Companies’ were private. You got a fire? Guys come and if you had a fire insurance mental tag on your building, companies competed to put out the fire and back charge the insurance company. No insurance? Either it burned, or the companies put it out and charged you. Your choice.