Are Firefighters Extravagantly?

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In years past and leading up to now, there has been a debate forthcoming about what firefighters do. It has been called into question why it is that we pay them so much. Questions like, “why do they have to live so extravagantly?” Or, “Why are my tax dollars paying for a bunch of grown men to play basketball and eat gourmet dinners?” These are trivial comments have peaked my curiosity, and drove me to seek out the answers (and the job of a firefighter.) The fact of the matter is that these opinions are passed without merit and without the hard facts to back them up. The truth is that firefighters are worth more today than they were in the past because they have become much more diverse in their responsibilities and activities throughout the workday. They do not live in luxury, nor do tax dollars pay for their meals. Firefighters are like the mortar of our brick house, or the foundation of a skyscraper. Without them, many of our established systems would simply fall apart. They are public service members that have committed their lives to protecting the lives of others. Firefighters …show more content…

Consider as well, that firefighters put in 56-hour work weeks on average (The Truth) as opposed to the standard 40-hour workweek associated with many other jobs in this country. Firefighters work an average of 16 more hours per week, and make $451 less per year. It should also be noted that the bottom 10% of firefighters make on average only $22,030 per year, a fairly Spartan salary one might say. Although the top 10% pull in $79,150, a 68% increase from average, which is considerably more than the average American, for one to be in the top 10% of any profession one might expect to make considerably more that what is

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