What is a Firefighter Worth?
I guess that depends. We live in a country that seems to have forgotten what our priorities are. A man can be a skilled athlete who happens to throw and catch a football well, and make millions and millions of dollars to do so. And we as a society are not only OK with that, but we gather in front of our televisions and cheer that man on. Meanwhile, a firefighter kisses his children goodbye before every shift knowing the harsh reality that it very well could be the last time he will see them, and he is fighting tooth and nail for decent health coverage and substantial pay to support those children.
He is the man that you call when your elderly father has a stroke. He is the person that will extract your 16-year-old son from a mangled vehicle on the highway in the middle of the night. He is the person that will be there in a heartbeat when your newborn infant stops breathing. He is the person who is exposed to countless dangerous scenarios and has seen horrific things during his career that would psychologically haunt most of us for the rest of our lives. We trust him to save our homes and belongings in the event of a disastrous fire, and we trust him to keep us breathing and our hearts beating when we face our most critical moments. What is he worth to you?
He sometimes will go days without sleep, and make life altering decisions on every call he shows up to. He has missed family meals, bedtime stories, Christmas mornings, school plays, anniversaries, Thanksgiving dinners, and his own children's birthdays. We all know that life is so very short, and firefighters sacrifice precious time with the most important people in their lives to save the lives of the most important people in yours. And now they have to defend and protect their pensions, well deserved health benefits, and their paychecks. It has been proposed by some that they lose many of their benefits, and work extra shifts that they will not be compensated for. There seems to be a serious misconception that firefighters are in it for the monetary gain, and more and more often have been portrayed in a negative light for actually expecting to be compensated for the sacrifices that they make to do their job. For an individual that has chosen this selfless career, it begs the question: Is it worth it?
Most of us are willing to pay a little extra for something if it is important to us, whether it be the shoes we wear, the doctor we choose to treat us, or even the cup of coffee we drink. It is something that we value, therefore it is worth the cost. Most would agree that our safety and protection is of unmeasurable value. Those of us that are skilled in math may look at the numbers and think that stripping those who serve our public of their way to earn a decent living is an answer to a financial equation. But firefighters and their families are not numbers on a piece of paper. They are human beings that are doing their jobs every day to the best of their ability, and possibly sacrificing their own lives for the life of a stranger. Not many of us in our right mind would do that for free, and no one should have to.
So before making our minds up that firefighters are the financial problem, sit down with a local firefighter and ask him about his job. Ask him about his wife and his sons or daughters, what kind of house he lives in, and what type of car he drives. And then ask yourself, if you were to take on such a career, what would you expect in return?
If you think firemen are getting paid too much and should have their wages and benefits cut back then in the next case of emergency call a baseball,football or a basketball player
dave mcbride | 2013-12-08 15:43:58
And that kind of thinking is why we should take care of those who do care about other people other than themselves
longshoremark | 2013-02-06 19:04:08
This article appears to be directed to those who think firefighters are paid to much, or think their pay should be cut. At least in Holliston, everything I've read and written myself suggests the exact opposite. On the issue of benefits, it's interesting that the current pension and retiree heath insurance benefits are so expensive, the leaders of our government can't even bring themselves to charge taxpayers the real cost of providing them. Ask the firefighters in bankrupt Central Falls RI how they're enjoying the loss of their pension and health care benefits because Rhode Island, like Massachusetts never paid the real cost of those benefit programs. Now, Holliston is $45 million in debt and the State is billions in debt for retiree health insurance alone. Pensions are on top of that. If those who advocate to retain the current benefits can't even figure out how to cover the real cost, isn't it ok to consider alternatives that we can actually pay for? If I were a firefighter, and I had a choice to a.) be in benefit plans that are financially sound enough to actually provide my benefits or b.) be in benefit plans that falsely acknowledge my sacrifices by either leaving me high and dry when I need them most, or my kids further burdened with costs that have been kicked down the road for decades, I'd choose a.).
Bill Dowd | 2012-05-05 23:39:54