(Kenneth M. Ruggiano for TIME)
How about those first responders! “First Responder” has become the buzz word of the millennium. What we really mean are those brave souls who are first on the scene of any disaster, large or small. Those are the people who rush into burning buildings, who scrape us up off the highway or who dodge bullets running into schools when a another mad-man decides to go out in a blaze of glory, mowing down as many innocents in cold blood as possible.
Those are the folks who travel great distances to places like Boston or Moore, Oklahoma just because they are needed and have skills that might be needed in a time of crisis. Those are the folks you see pouring through the 17 miles of rubble that the residents of suburban Oklahoma City used to call home. Those are the folks who gaze on the most horrific scenes in the aftermath of fires, tornadoes, earthquakes, shootings, and terrorism.
Those are the people who the politicians and the cheapskates start quibbling over when it comes budget time. Those are the folks who become the first-responders when it comes to budget cuts. Their pay is generally the first on the chopping block. Their pay, their pension, their equipment. First cut, First cut, Last replaced.
Last month when terrorists struck during the Boston Marathon, cops and fire and rescue personnel were the heroes of the day. Crowds lined the streets to cheer for them. How many will remain cheering at budget time, when these folks want a meager raise? First Responders aren’t at the top of the pay food chain to start with. Often the equipment they use gets recycled just one more year. Budget restraints, you know.
The general public talks a good show. Then the cheap skates come out of the woodwork. The cheapskates can be found on most conservative blogs. They want to prove their street cred or something and many talk like cops, teachers and fire and rescue ought to be giving more of themselves and that people who want raises are just greedy, selfish pigs. Some even throw around the U-word. You know, that thing that some public servants join to protect their interests–UNIONS.
As we watch the clean up from the Oklahoma tornado disaster, we should all remember how much we appreciate public servants when the going gets tough. We need to translate that appreciation to their paychecks. No, it isn’t all about money. Most of those people are probably on free time as it is. Its about remembering that firefighters, rescue workers, cops and teachers all have mortgages, kids to put through school, and educations to pay for, just like the rest of us.
Only those that generate money are truly valued in America. Boston is still blue collar enough to appreciate first responders more. Yes I am mostly pro union – with wage increases and profits hitting almost 90 degrees of separation –
I do think about some $60k a year EMT dragging the hedge managers derrière from a burning car so the hedge manager can go help the Koch Bros……and a lot of what I’ve seen here is criticism for public servant for insisting on better benefits to offset crummy pay and defense of Koch as the latter is contributing to our economic recovery.
Public servants are the Disney model of employees – pipe them in underground so they are not seen, dress them in costumes and send them to work, then pipe them back out to where they can afford to live. Never REALLY being seen as people to those that can afford Disney.
Lyssa,
That is probably the MOST profound statement I have read on our public employees that protect us and teach us. Thank you.
VERY warmly,
Elena
I am obsessing over how you got the accent mark in derrière . I had to cut and paste.
I loved the Disney analogy.
Thank you ladies! Have to confess that the tréma that appears in derrière came from spell check.
I come from a line of teachers, state employees and other public servants as well as a lawyer or two. I had a friend once who told me that her retiring military husband could not work for PWC because they had a standard of living that had to be met. But those that work there should be happy to have jobs close by and the salary was good enough for them. It was one of those pivotal moments when you realize you really have nothing in common with someone.
These are the people we all count on to take care of many aspects of our lives – from dog bites, to teaching, to rescuing people from fires, unscrupulous businesses, carnival creeps, crashes and violent crimes to nuisances like barking dogs. Public servants maintain the quality of life in a community. Teachers have to have a Masters Degree to teach. 8.05% of the US population over 25 has a Masters. 8.05%, think about it. The average teacher salary in PWC is about $65k.
14 people were killed in the fertilizer fire in Texas last month. 12 of those casualties were first responders…racing in the help people. What a shame.
I know it wasn’t intentional but let’s not forget the thousands of volunteer firefighters, who risk their lives after spending all day at work and then spend the nights without pay protecting their communities and fellow citizens.
Lately all we see are criticism of volunteers when a few bad apples (located in every segment of our society BTW) dominate the news we receive.
The volunteer firefighters are the included as first responders. I just didn’t specifiy. I have made no distinction between paid and volunteer.
Thank you for listing them by name.
There were 1,100,450 firefighters in the United States in 2011. Of these, 344,050 (31%) were career and 756,400 (69%) were volunteer. Isn’t that amazing?
That really is amazing. I wonder what makes people give of their time like that.
@Moon-howler
It is easy–simply a variation of the West Point motto (Duty, Honor, Country):
Duty, Honor, Community
How often we forget just how important first responders are to all of us.
In the place where I was over 45 years ago, George S. Harris was one of the first responders; and a lot of men and their grateful families have remembered that fact for all the rest of their lives. Mrs. W has often reminded me that, by the time the Marines got to her and the rest of the staff in the hospital, they had already been ministered to under the hardest conditions by miracle hands. Thanks, George.
@Moon-howler
I think I may have been responding in thought to Lyssa’s first post about the 60K a year EMT. Sorry for being obscure. I might do better next time 🙂
No problem, Clinton. I often catch myself responding in thought.
I thought it was a GREAT point. Glad I looked up the numbers.
@Clinton S. Long
@Lyssa
I am glad also, I never knew the percentages. But if one thinks about it, there are many communities/rural areas where paid staff can’t be used because there aren’t enough households to support the money for salaries and equipment. So it would have to rely on volunteers from the community.
90% of municipalities in the US have populations of 25,000 or less.