Comparing pay for mercenaries in Iraq to public safety employees in California is not apples and apples. Also the military doesn’t retire at full pay. Quite frankly public safety people probably make more money than the mercenaries when you include 30-40 years on pension.
Concerning the firemen who tool around in fire trucks to run personal errands should probably not be allowed to leave the firehouse while they are on duty.
John[/quote]
Public safety personnel don’t retire at full pay, either. Mind you, public safety personnel weren’t complaining about their pensions before the pension boost, either (not anyone I’ve ever met). That was a disaster from the start, and as I’ve said many times before, it was not the boots-on-the-ground workers who were asking for it. They’re the ones taking all the flak for it now, though.
As to the “tooling around in the fire engines” how do you think firefighters get to calls? The fire station isn’t what goes on calls; the fire engines/trucks do. Firefighters are tied to the fire engines/trucks (and their zones), not the fire station.
Besides, how do you think groceries get to the fire stations when firefighters often 24+ hours at a stretch? Firefighters work 24 or even 120 hours (not an unusual overtime situation) at a time. You don’t think they should eat? Or, perhaps you think the city should hire additional workers who will keep the fire stations supplied all the time?
Just want to clarify…firefighters do not “run personal errands” while on duty. That’s absolutely not allowed. If you see them in the store, they are ON DUTY. If a call comes in, the groceries are dropped and they run to the call.
