[quote=paramount]IMO firefighters and police are well overpaid (in general), but what many who feel this way fail to understand is that there is a large segment of people in our population who patronize and worship police and firefighters. Yes, it’s strange I know but also true.

Do I appreciate what they do? Sure, but I refuse to put them on a pedestal like so many other misguided fools.

And yes, bring volunteer firefighters back – hell I’ll even volunteer myself – and when you weirdo worshipers approach me there will be no need to drop to your knees.[/quote]

Volunteer firefighters were all we had for the lion’s share of our nation’s history. I have seen first-hand the great work they do as they helped us after one of our daughters nearly choked to death when she was about a year old.

I don’t know if the response to our 911 call that day would have been better or worse had there been just a volunteer force. My guess is it would likely have been slower. However, I had revived my daughter myself by giving her mouth-to-mouth rescusitation and CPR prior to the paramedics/fire department staff showing up and she probably would have been ok regardless. Maybe there’s a lesson on personal responsibility/healthcare in that story, but I digress.

I admire what fire and police personnel do, but I think there’s a lot of fluff in their administration and I don’t like it when they say that more homes will burn down or more people will get raped if the voters don’t approve of their budget increases. In general, I think the pendulum is set to shift towards more personal responsibility and voluntarism.