[quote=pri_dk][quote=jpinpb]Do you want someone who may not have the proper qualifications and training to save you in a burning house just b/c you’re saving a buck?
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Strawman.
Never said we lower the standards or decrease the amount of training they receive before they start the job.
To answer the question you are really asking:
Yes, I am comfortable that my family and I will still be just as safe if we lower the pay for city firefighters. Their compensation is far above the threshold that would impact performance or quality.
Phase out their pensions, and they won’t quit. And if they do, qualified people will still be available to fill the slot.
The public gets quality services, the firefighters still make a good living, and the government doesn’t go broke. In other words, a solution that works. (Because the status quo is *not* working.)
And for those firefighters that would choose to do a half-assed job out of spite – they aren’t really heroes, are they?[/quote]
Again, you’re making assumptions about things you don’t know anything about.
Have you actually talked to the people who hire and train public safety officers? Do you have any proof that lower-paid departments have employees who are just as efficient and well-trained as those in higher-paid departments?
Do you really think these people will stick it out in the fire/police department when they have no benefits to compel them to stay? You think they’ll do these jobs when flippers and realtors are making more than they are? Really?
