Solution to state and local crisis? Cut Firefighter Pay in Half! - Bakersfieldbubble - Bakersfieldbubble's Blog - Bakersfield.com

Jun 8, 2009 at 04:06 PM : It's a good idea...

It's a good idea that you don't post your personal info - for I feel that if your house caught on fire, it might find a way of staying on fire even after you've dialed 911.

I'm happy to pay our Fire Fighters high wages - they're willing to stick their butt in places you or I would never dare to in order to ensure the safety of all.

Jun 8, 2009 at 04:06 PM : FloridaStateGrad - CAn...

FloridaStateGrad - CAn we afford to pay these guys this much money! The answer is no

If these FF dont want to show up then they are the wrong guys!

IF you look up the 20 most dangerous jobs FF is not there....they just have a good PR machine that lets you think they are. Since Liquor store clerks are near the top, should we pay them more?

Jun 8, 2009 at 04:06 PM : I'm with Florida...

I'm with Florida on this one.

Not only do firefighters risk their lives by the very nature of their work, they also are most often the first responders to horrific accidents. Fire, police, and paramedics deserve every penny they are paid.

Jun 8, 2009 at 04:06 PM : vanityfair - FF sit...

vanityfair - FF sit around the station most of the time and their jobs are no where near the top of jobs where you risk your lives....we can no longer afford to pay them these salaries. I guarantee there would be 50-1 applicants at half their pay!

Jun 8, 2009 at 05:06 PM : Then lets pay our...

Then lets pay our military $100k plus per year????

They risk their lives in combat every second!

Jun 8, 2009 at 05:06 PM : There are plenty of...

There are plenty of young guys willing to apply for those jobs. I have a buddy whose a FF that got laid off a year ago (after only working for six months). He would love to come back and work.

Jun 8, 2009 at 05:06 PM : BB, do you plan on...

BB, do you plan on running for President anytime soon? You've got my vote.

Jun 8, 2009 at 05:06 PM : Bubble -...

Bubble - I agree that we should pay our military more.

jfrancais - maybe it's the water here, but none of the people I graduated high school with in Orlando (and none of the other 20-somethings I know from Florida.. thanks to Facebook I keep in touch with hundreds..) are involved in fire fighting. Most people aren't really geared for that line of work.

Either way - I think they deserve the current pay they get.

Jun 8, 2009 at 05:06 PM : BB, I agree that the...

BB, I agree that the pay is quite high. However, I stand by my opinion that they deserve it. It is quite likely that a firefighter encounters more carnage and ill (dying) people in his lifetime than someone serving a four-year stint in the military.

Like police, they have no idea what their next shift will bring. It takes a special kind of person to tolerate the unpredictable nature of the job.

Jun 8, 2009 at 05:06 PM : ...

Firefighters ( poilce and sheriff deps, too ) should not start at anything higher than the average median wage . Like social workers or teachers do.

--virgil

Jun 8, 2009 at 05:06 PM : I agree that...

I agree that it takes a special person to do it. I wouldn't. My Brother in law, whose a firefighter in the Air Force makes about 30-40% of what CA firefighters make. I'm convinced that people will apply for those jobs. I feel they deserve every penny that they can get but the reality is that the state is broke and every CA gov't employee is going to take a hit in the wallet. Tough decisions have to be made. No wanted to until the White Elephant stared them directly in the face and was about to pounce on them.

Jun 8, 2009 at 05:06 PM : jfrancais - too many...

jfrancais - too many skeletons in my closet to run for anything. :)

If I had to choose, I would pay our troops in combat 2-3 times what they are making!

We just cant afford these promises to FF's. Something has to give and real soon or this state will be broke.

Jun 8, 2009 at 05:06 PM : It is quite...

It is quite likely that a firefighter encounters more carnage and ill (dying) people in his lifetime than someone serving a four-year stint in the military.

Not Army and some Air Force military firefighters. They do everything from put out burning planes on tarmacs (I was on two of them) to first responding on FOBs when they are under fire. They even pull guard duties like every other soldier.

Jun 8, 2009 at 05:06 PM : jfrancais -...

jfrancais - too many skeletons in my closet to run for anything. :)

If Bill Clinton can be president, skeletons and all, anyone can.

Jun 8, 2009 at 05:06 PM : If Bill Clinton can be...

If Bill Clinton can be president, skeletons and all, anyone can.

Or George W. Bush. Who'da thunk that a failed businessman with a history of insider trading who deserted from the military would be picked by the Repubwhigans? Guess they had a death wish even then.

Me, all my "skeletons" are in-laws. :)

Jun 8, 2009 at 05:06 PM : Fair enough,...

Fair enough, jfrancais. I didn't mean to compare civilian firefighters to military firefighters, just the military in general. A friend of mine enlisted in the Army and saw virtually no action at all while stationed in Colorado and North Carolina. I, too, think it would be great for the military to be paid more as well.

Maybe it's just me, but I think that if your job description includes pulling a pregnant woman who is on fire out of a fiery crash or hearing the suffering screams of trapped passengers as you try to free them you should be compensated a bit more. I'm just crazy that way, I guess ; )

Jun 8, 2009 at 05:06 PM : I think they earn...

I think they earn their pay but the state has to make the tough decisions. If that is what the state was willing to pay and they showed up everyday and did their job, then they deserve it. With that being said, the cuts aren't done out of spite for firefighters. The state is broke and can't pay them was is essentially above "market value" (baseball term) for firefighters. Maybe the their union can fight that fight another day. Now is not the time.

Jun 8, 2009 at 05:06 PM : Firefighter pay...

Firefighter pay has become unsustainable, and changes must be made.

We live in a Capitalist country, and salaries are supposed to be determined by the market.

As BB has said, lower the pay significantly, and there would be no shortage of applicants.

The market thus determines reasonable pay scales.

The job is less dangerous than many occupations that pay less, so the “danger” reasoning doesn’t really hold water.

Fire fighters didn’t even make the 10 most dangerous jobs list from BLS.

Here’s the list from 2007. Keep in mind that most of these folks don’t “retire” at age 50 with 90% pay, and most of the jobs are far more physically demanding overall. They are all far more likely to die or be seriously injured while earning a living.

Depending on the given year, a firefighter would be around 25 on the list.

Deaths per 100,000 per year.

Fishermen 119 deaths per 100,000

Loggers 87 deaths per 100,000

Commercial pilots 67 deaths per 100,000

Miners 49 deaths per 100,0000

Steel workers 45 deaths per 100,000

Farm workers 38 deaths per 100,000

Roofers 29.6 deaths per 100,000

Electric linemen 29 deaths per 100,000

Truck drivers 26 deaths per 100,000

Trash collectors 23 deaths per 100,000

Police Officers 21 deaths per 100,000

Jun 8, 2009 at 06:06 PM : The essence of the...

The essence of the problem is we've stopped policing ourselves and being responsible for our own deeds and misfortunes; instead WE DEMAND the STATE take care of us, which they are happy to do with half the efficiency and at twice the cost we could otherwise provide for ourselves.

Many places have volunteer fire brigades and EMT services as well as better community policing. I have always said in the conflict between freedom and safety, give me enough freedom, and I'll look after my own safety. As soon as we are able to take these responsibilities upon ourselves, policing our communities and looking after one another, we will continue to pay premium rates to the few that are willing to do it for us.

As with every problem, we should look inwards first for the source. Where the problem is created therein also lies the solution.

Jun 8, 2009 at 06:06 PM : http://news.yahoo.com/...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090608/ap_on_re_us/us_selling_san_quentin

California is even trying to firesale its prisons. Things are getting bad.

Jun 8, 2009 at 06:06 PM : I don't think its...

I don't think its asking too much of a government to have firefighters.

Jun 8, 2009 at 07:06 PM : Well you know the CEO...

Well you know the CEO from WAMU who got 19 million for three weeks work, he got a really deep paper cut one day at the office. Capitalism?

Jun 8, 2009 at 07:06 PM : anti, just ask Guo...

anti, just ask Guo Shuqing. He's running the show now.

Jun 8, 2009 at 09:06 PM : How many cops would we...

How many cops would we need if the right to carry a firearm wasn't nearly impossible to be granted. I am talking about legitimate training and background checks. We did have volunteers and paid on call firefighters in Kern County in the past to assist the regulars but that has been all but phased out due to plenty of tax money available making them unnecessary [unwanted] and a lack of interest in training them from the firefighters [ including me] and the fire dept.

Jun 9, 2009 at 10:06 AM : Is this guy...

Is this guy "bubble" for real??? Bubble must be why he rode the little yellow bus to school. "Bubble" go back to your job where you work out a window passing out fries and giving correct change only because a machine told you how many quarters and nickels to give back. You are absolutely CLUELESS. FF's have to be trained in stuff like medical aid, rescues, hazmat on a regular basis. Not just any joe-shmo (sorry Joe's out there) has the intelligence, physical stamina, and drive for that job. When there's a test for FF's why do you think HUNDREDS of applicants show up and only the top select few get the job??? Same for Police and Deputies. If these jobs were easy then anyone could get the job. With the way the FF and Police Union negations are headed, the quality of FF's and Police will turn into exactly what "Bubble" and Virgil the all knowing already think they are. You two jerk offs think FF's and Police are bad now..............wait til Tandy cuts pay, benefits, etc. You will then get the minimum wage quality response from your first responders. This should make you feel safe at night.

Jun 9, 2009 at 12:06 PM : As someone who lives...

As someone who lives in a dry, fire-prone area, I think our firefighters heartily deserve their pay. What the state should cut back is CHP pay. They get great salaries and benefits. But since the state makes so much money from CHP "tax collecting", they will never cut back on that. Point in fact: the state approved mega money to pay extra CHPs to patrol Taft Hwy., citing that there are too many wrecks from people passing on such a narrow road. IMO, that money could have been better used for widening the road. But NO...they can't do THAT! If they used that money to widen Taft Hwy., the CHP wouldn't be writing more tickets and raking in more revenue.

Keep the firefighters; cut back on the "tax collectors".

Jun 9, 2009 at 02:06 PM : Being a firefighter...

Being a firefighter doesn't just mean you stand on the street with a hose. Sure there are more dangerous jobs, but the skill level for those jobs isn't as high. As rightly pointed out, it doesn't just take a mustache to be a firefighter. How much do you think those firefighters who went back into the Towers are worth? How much pay does a guy deserve who ends up with lung cancer. How much pay does a guy deserve who has half of his face melted off. If you want to start hacking money in government, start with not just the useless programs, but also the ones that are criminally mismanaged. Right now there are local state and federal employees clamoring to spend the rest of their budgets on useless crap so they can get the same amount in their budget next year. How about the state actually rewarding those that do a good job for less money. And the really sad part is, a lot of those programs spending like crazy right now at the end of the fiscal year, won't even be in existence in two months. Then all the logoed key chains and other useless trinkets will end up in the county dump.

Jun 9, 2009 at 02:06 PM : Well, at least nobody...

Well, at least nobody is calling our Fire Department socialism, even though it essentially is.

Shame on anyone that is talking bad about our Brave Firefighters.

Jun 10, 2009 at 04:06 PM : Bakersfieldbubble.&...

Bakersfieldbubble. You asinine post only proves that you know nothing about a Firefighters job. Get a life.

Jun 10, 2009 at 04:06 PM : Neverleft, I actually...

Neverleft, I actually agree with you here. I wouldn't have been so harsh and insulting about it though.