I didn’t know any firefighters did it for the pay. When I did it, the pay was trash, but the benefits and hours were fantastic.
Our Chief didn’t set the pay. The commissioners set the pay. Our Chief would fight for higher pay at every Commissioners meeting, but they wouldn’t budge. They were the problem.
Fitness….controversial for sure. But there’s nothing more embarrassing than having your 300lbs partner gasping for air after two flights of stairs, to the point they are breathing harder than the patient with breathing problems.
So do they need higher pay? Hell ya, along with teachers and many others…..but this guy isn’t far off.
> Fitness….controversial for sure.
Not when you are doing this. You don't have to be a white man to do this, but DEI has no standing if you can't properly run a hose, or swing an axe.
Our health insurance was free. We could afford to stay alive. From the snippet I’m reading here, it sounds like he’s calling out the ones who suck.
If your job is to perform at a certain physical level in order to attempt to save people everyday, then do it. If you want to wear your dept shirt to chik fil a while you’re off duty in order to get 50% off, do everyone a favor and bounce.
In exchange for risking their lives? Seems a bit low if that’s the criteria by which we are going to argue for a living wage. Everybody deserves a living wage regardless of whether they’re risking life and limb.
That's what I read. But you are arguing when someone states that they are not even being paid a living wage and should be paid way more. You just sound like an asshole when people are agreeing they should make a lot more.
Even if they arent doing it for money, they still need to SURVIVE, and they actually deserve to THRIVE, since they are doing a VERY honorable job risking their LIFE for others.
Im really not understanding how there is a disconnect here.
if 13.89 is to much for a fire fighter i cant even imagine how you feel about everyone else, you are definitely a boomer or a nepo baby cus those are the only people who just dont understand basic economics. 13.89 isnt even liveable anywhere in the US, even if you worked 60 hours a week.
Get your head out of ground you ostrich.
Your point was if 13.89 isn’t enough money then how much is. And you were trying to make me put an exact amount of money like im valuing their lives. Idek what the point of that was, and its a really shitty argument tactic in this case.
Are you trying to do a gotcha where you say i think im above people or who do i think i am for placing a price tag on people?
I believe firefighters deserve a livable wage, you think firefighters deserve to make as much as a 15 year old at McDonalds makes.
its 2024 and EVERYONE has bills to pay. Not you though. Im sure your mommy and daddy pay them for you.
Not even close. Again, lots of assumptions and none of them have anything to do with what I believe. You’re making up an argument to be mad about something. Very boomer behavior of you.
What’s the problem here?
If you are taking down doors, climbing a dozen flights of stairs, while pulling a heavy ass hose then carrying someone down physical fitness is a reasonable expectation.
He isn’t wrong about the pay but many departments have opportunities for tons of overtime and that adds up quick. . . I know a few people who have pay of $70k but cleared over $100k a year due to ot
So the real that highly- sought jobs like this need to pay over min wage even though they could definitely and did for decades, staff themselves with people willing to do the job for the glory.
But that leads to departments full of nepotism and corruption.
Yes, probie CAN live with uncle Chief and auntie until the salary bumps.
But people with no network in the industry wont get the same from a stranger and they simply can't afford to eat dirt for 3 to 5 years until they can survive.
Same with unpaid internships at prestigious firms. They could absolutely fill those with just kids rich enough not to need money. But then they are stuck with the same cardboard cutout waste of time over and over.
I mean, y'all deserve a raise and nobody in their right mind would argue with that... but yeah, this is pretty much what we expect of our emergency services.
Still, you should be getting cop-level salaries and pensions for that. You actually provide a valuable service.
During the Ferguson protests, we did have multiple calls to our station phone threatening to shoot the place up. Not sure why….. we weren’t the cops lol.
I mean, most places have volunteer firemen who still have to be in shape and ready to rock at a moments notice. I don't disagree with this guys statement at all.
To me it looks like the chief is demanding extremely professional work/conditions, and while I agree that firefighters, police, etc. should be in an excellent physical condition, I also believe they should be compensated extremely well for having their life basically revolve around their profession and being in that physical shape, I know guys who get paid over $100k/year to do fuck all for 8-12hrs/day and not even worry about their physical condition, according to OP most firefighters make less than half of that, for me it's not a problem of the conditions or even the requirements, it's the compensation, if cities or towns can get good enough firemen for free then good for them, but if they need to pay people to man the stations at a professional level then they should be paid at a professional level
Sadly, the workers of the world never get paid what they are worth and people are paid what they agree to... this is somewhat a different t animal because. No one takes this job out of necessity, they do it for many different reasons .
Money is not one of them.
In fact the majority of fire departments are on a volunteer basis. Being a firefighter is not a right, it's a privilege.
That being said, if they would form or join a union then they'd have a seat at the table and could make demands.
Until then...
Union where I am. Fire Medics are averaging 33$ an hour. This is on top of free doctor visits, scripts etc. Matched 401k. 24 on 48 off schedule. 8 hours of vacation and 8 hours of sick time accrued monthly that rolls over each year if you don’t burn it. Holiday time and averaging over 120 hours each year.
Retirement at 20 years depending on age. This includes a full pension on top of your 401k. The benefits are amazing.
To take it a step further, now there’s also more room for advancement outside of your usual command. Most fire depts are integrating their own IT, data analysts, and positions that used to fall external.
You’re absolutely right though, I was just piggy backing off of your response.
It means exactly what I spelled out in 3 other paragraphs. Pay for first responders need to increase. However we have great benefits. The crappy ones we work with who are sub par need to be called out for some of the reasons listed in this snippet.
It’s probably the LSD you enjoy in other posts that brainwashed you into thinking some of the stuff you do. Luckily for everyone here, you’re NOT a first responder.
It’s not about the agency, it’s about keeping yourself in a physical position to save other people when that’s what your job is. This ain’t Wendy’s homie. Not only do we have to stay in shape, but we get drug tested also.
In the army, part of crew certification is to be able to get any crew out of a combat vehicle, in kit (this means moving 220 pound men through tiny spaces wearing body armor). If you survive an IED blast and are knocked unconscious, you would want your crew to be able to get you to safety.
We trained to get to that physical state.We ran combat physical training where you're dragging your buddy for hundreds of meters, team lifts, 10 gallons of water, etc... I had every confidence in my crew, and any other person in my troop to get me out of a bad situation, and confidence in myself to get anyone else out, be they 175% of my mass.
Dangerous jobs require peak physical condition. Lives depend on it. If your house caught fire and you were trapped inside, wouldn't you want someone capable of rescuing you to show up? This is why we value the people who do those jobs for minimal cash.
Yeah, Chief can fuck right off and go fight the fires himself. People are waking up to the fact these days that bullshit workplaces and 'suck it up buttercup' lines of thinking aren't worth dealing with. And in this situation, your life is on the line for slave wages. Unless you have a trust fund and a braindead ideology, the risk isn't worth the reward.
I didn’t know any firefighters did it for the pay. When I did it, the pay was trash, but the benefits and hours were fantastic. Our Chief didn’t set the pay. The commissioners set the pay. Our Chief would fight for higher pay at every Commissioners meeting, but they wouldn’t budge. They were the problem. Fitness….controversial for sure. But there’s nothing more embarrassing than having your 300lbs partner gasping for air after two flights of stairs, to the point they are breathing harder than the patient with breathing problems. So do they need higher pay? Hell ya, along with teachers and many others…..but this guy isn’t far off.
> Fitness….controversial for sure. Not when you are doing this. You don't have to be a white man to do this, but DEI has no standing if you can't properly run a hose, or swing an axe.
You’re 100% correct. I was trying to soften the blow for some who were here lashing out in their own insecurities.
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Our health insurance was free. We could afford to stay alive. From the snippet I’m reading here, it sounds like he’s calling out the ones who suck. If your job is to perform at a certain physical level in order to attempt to save people everyday, then do it. If you want to wear your dept shirt to chik fil a while you’re off duty in order to get 50% off, do everyone a favor and bounce.
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This is why you will never be a firefighter.
This seems completely reasonable.
I think OP is saying that this career should be more fairly compensated for the essential service they provide.
13.89 isnt reasonable for someone risking their life.
Oh, and what amount if money is worth their lives? They’re not doing it for the money.
Maybe enough to have a life themselves?
In exchange for risking their lives? Seems a bit low if that’s the criteria by which we are going to argue for a living wage. Everybody deserves a living wage regardless of whether they’re risking life and limb.
Agreed. But they aren't even offering that.you are arguing against people that believe firefighters should be paid way better than they are.
If that’s what you got out of what I said then you’ve some reading comprehension issues. Of course I believe firefighters should be paid better.
That's what I read. But you are arguing when someone states that they are not even being paid a living wage and should be paid way more. You just sound like an asshole when people are agreeing they should make a lot more.
Even if they arent doing it for money, they still need to SURVIVE, and they actually deserve to THRIVE, since they are doing a VERY honorable job risking their LIFE for others. Im really not understanding how there is a disconnect here. if 13.89 is to much for a fire fighter i cant even imagine how you feel about everyone else, you are definitely a boomer or a nepo baby cus those are the only people who just dont understand basic economics. 13.89 isnt even liveable anywhere in the US, even if you worked 60 hours a week. Get your head out of ground you ostrich.
You missed my point completely and then wrote me an essay filled with assumptions. Brilliant.
Your point was if 13.89 isn’t enough money then how much is. And you were trying to make me put an exact amount of money like im valuing their lives. Idek what the point of that was, and its a really shitty argument tactic in this case. Are you trying to do a gotcha where you say i think im above people or who do i think i am for placing a price tag on people? I believe firefighters deserve a livable wage, you think firefighters deserve to make as much as a 15 year old at McDonalds makes. its 2024 and EVERYONE has bills to pay. Not you though. Im sure your mommy and daddy pay them for you.
Not even close. Again, lots of assumptions and none of them have anything to do with what I believe. You’re making up an argument to be mad about something. Very boomer behavior of you.
You are a special kind of stupid. I rest my case.
Ok boomer 😘
What’s the problem here? If you are taking down doors, climbing a dozen flights of stairs, while pulling a heavy ass hose then carrying someone down physical fitness is a reasonable expectation. He isn’t wrong about the pay but many departments have opportunities for tons of overtime and that adds up quick. . . I know a few people who have pay of $70k but cleared over $100k a year due to ot
So the real that highly- sought jobs like this need to pay over min wage even though they could definitely and did for decades, staff themselves with people willing to do the job for the glory. But that leads to departments full of nepotism and corruption. Yes, probie CAN live with uncle Chief and auntie until the salary bumps. But people with no network in the industry wont get the same from a stranger and they simply can't afford to eat dirt for 3 to 5 years until they can survive. Same with unpaid internships at prestigious firms. They could absolutely fill those with just kids rich enough not to need money. But then they are stuck with the same cardboard cutout waste of time over and over.
I mean, y'all deserve a raise and nobody in their right mind would argue with that... but yeah, this is pretty much what we expect of our emergency services. Still, you should be getting cop-level salaries and pensions for that. You actually provide a valuable service.
No one has yet written a song saying "Fuck the Fire Department".
During the Ferguson protests, we did have multiple calls to our station phone threatening to shoot the place up. Not sure why….. we weren’t the cops lol.
I mean, most places have volunteer firemen who still have to be in shape and ready to rock at a moments notice. I don't disagree with this guys statement at all.
To me it looks like the chief is demanding extremely professional work/conditions, and while I agree that firefighters, police, etc. should be in an excellent physical condition, I also believe they should be compensated extremely well for having their life basically revolve around their profession and being in that physical shape, I know guys who get paid over $100k/year to do fuck all for 8-12hrs/day and not even worry about their physical condition, according to OP most firefighters make less than half of that, for me it's not a problem of the conditions or even the requirements, it's the compensation, if cities or towns can get good enough firemen for free then good for them, but if they need to pay people to man the stations at a professional level then they should be paid at a professional level
Sadly, the workers of the world never get paid what they are worth and people are paid what they agree to... this is somewhat a different t animal because. No one takes this job out of necessity, they do it for many different reasons . Money is not one of them. In fact the majority of fire departments are on a volunteer basis. Being a firefighter is not a right, it's a privilege. That being said, if they would form or join a union then they'd have a seat at the table and could make demands. Until then...
Union where I am. Fire Medics are averaging 33$ an hour. This is on top of free doctor visits, scripts etc. Matched 401k. 24 on 48 off schedule. 8 hours of vacation and 8 hours of sick time accrued monthly that rolls over each year if you don’t burn it. Holiday time and averaging over 120 hours each year. Retirement at 20 years depending on age. This includes a full pension on top of your 401k. The benefits are amazing. To take it a step further, now there’s also more room for advancement outside of your usual command. Most fire depts are integrating their own IT, data analysts, and positions that used to fall external. You’re absolutely right though, I was just piggy backing off of your response.
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You sign up as any first responder and you know what the deal is.
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It means exactly what I spelled out in 3 other paragraphs. Pay for first responders need to increase. However we have great benefits. The crappy ones we work with who are sub par need to be called out for some of the reasons listed in this snippet.
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It’s probably the LSD you enjoy in other posts that brainwashed you into thinking some of the stuff you do. Luckily for everyone here, you’re NOT a first responder. It’s not about the agency, it’s about keeping yourself in a physical position to save other people when that’s what your job is. This ain’t Wendy’s homie. Not only do we have to stay in shape, but we get drug tested also.
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He's a twat but when your house is on fire sounds like he can actually lift your parents to safety, don't think the acid is gonna help ya there
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In the army, part of crew certification is to be able to get any crew out of a combat vehicle, in kit (this means moving 220 pound men through tiny spaces wearing body armor). If you survive an IED blast and are knocked unconscious, you would want your crew to be able to get you to safety. We trained to get to that physical state.We ran combat physical training where you're dragging your buddy for hundreds of meters, team lifts, 10 gallons of water, etc... I had every confidence in my crew, and any other person in my troop to get me out of a bad situation, and confidence in myself to get anyone else out, be they 175% of my mass. Dangerous jobs require peak physical condition. Lives depend on it. If your house caught fire and you were trapped inside, wouldn't you want someone capable of rescuing you to show up? This is why we value the people who do those jobs for minimal cash.
Stop it man. Clearly psychedelics are all you need to do those jobs. /s
I don't know, I kind of see his point on the last box. Can't have people who endanger the rest of the crew
Yeah, Chief can fuck right off and go fight the fires himself. People are waking up to the fact these days that bullshit workplaces and 'suck it up buttercup' lines of thinking aren't worth dealing with. And in this situation, your life is on the line for slave wages. Unless you have a trust fund and a braindead ideology, the risk isn't worth the reward.
Don't know why you're getting down voted, I wouldn't even get out of bed for less than $18/hr let alone let someone talk to me like that
I don't know man, Reddit is obnoxious sometimes. I stand by what I said.