Do firefighters deserve a raise?

[enigma51]

Give me a break, I have family and friends who are firefighters. They do SFA at least 80% of the time. They watch TV, sleep, game, surf the net, take the fire appliance out to look at women or pick up lunch, they keep second jobs (I know one that has built his own house in less than a year) and their job isnt even that dangerous statistically. They loose one guy on the job in 25 years, in my industry we loose a guy every 25 months, and theres less of us.

Firefighters have a great romantic attraction for the public, but they actually do very little most of the time and get paid well for it.

Vollys do more for less and dont whine about it all the time. Send more funds there way.

You friends/ family must be some of the lucky once silverdale is the second busiest and they had over 1000 trucks out the door over the last year. I think your right they are doing sweet fuck all must be the fire fairies doing the work.

[p.dath]

You friends/ family must be some of the lucky once silverdale is the second busiest and they had over 1000 trucks out the door over the last year. I think your right they are doing sweet fuck all must be the fire fairies doing the work.

Not wanting to support the line they do nothing ...

But that's only an average of less than 3 call outs a days. One job every 8 hours or so. It sounds like Timber020 is right, they must have a lot of time to kill.

And your saying that's second busiest station? What is a quiet station like?

[enigma51]

Not wanting to support the line they do nothing ...

But that's only an average of less than 3 call outs a days. One job every 8 hours or so. It sounds like Timber020 is right, they must have a lot of time to kill.

And your saying that's second busiest station? What is a quiet station like?

house fires are an average of 4 hours on site. Car crash maybe 2 maybe 3. Fatal that can be all bloody day. Now dont know if you have been to a fatal crash lately but they are as nice as vomit in a tumble dryer.

It might not seem that they are very busy but i dare you to run around for 4 hours in level 2's (that brown fire proof stuff they wear)

[enigma51]

The stranges thing to me is that people that gives the most critic about the fire service are usually the once who expect the most when they are in a car crash or there houses are burning down.

So when they dont need them they moan and when they do need them they moan

[p.dath]

house fires are an average of 4 hours on site. Car crash maybe 2 maybe 3. Fatal that can be all bloody day. Now dont know if you have been to a fatal crash lately but they are as nice as vomit in a tumble dryer.

It might not seem that they are very busy but i dare you to run around for 4 hours in level 2's (that brown fire proof stuff they wear)

Assuming mostly house fires, that's a maximum of 12 hours work per 24 hour day, in the second busiest station.
I imagine the vast majority of stations then work far fewer hours.

I try to avoid fatal car accidents, but I can easily believe that you would be correct. I can see a lot of mental toughness would be required.

And I bet your right, that it is physically very draining. But this is one of the busier stations. I assume most other stations have a lot more time to recover between incidents.

[p.dath]

The stranges thing to me is that people that gives the most critic about the fire service are usually the once who expect the most when they are in a car crash or there houses are burning down.
...

Ah, now that's just human nature. Will always be like that.

[enigma51]

Ah, now that's just human nature. Will always be like that.

Just like tax and death?

[jetboy]

The economy is not in a great shape. People are loosing their jobs. People are working 4 day weeks. A lot of people are taking a reduction in income.

I vote no.

Sorry mate fail to agree with you.

A firefighter risks his/her own life to save others and gets paid bugger all. I've always been surprised at what they earn. I did a year's volunteering because I enjoyed it (am looking to go career sometime) and was blown away with what career firefighters earn...less than I do sitting behind a desk.

I think it's poor that frontline emergency services staff get peanuts.

[Forest]

Personaly I think that the original question is as biased as you can get - "Should firefighters get a pay rise?" (hell yeah!) "Do I have to pay for it with higher taxes?" (hell no!).

The NZ Fire Service isn't funded out of general taxation.

It is mostly funded through the Fire Service Levy. The levy is applied to fire insurance policies at a fixed rate (it used to be charged at 7.6 cents per $100 of insurance cover per year, but may have changed).

If you don't have an insurance policy for fire damage, then you don't directly contribute to the NZ Fire Service.

[Patrick]

yeah they do deserve a pay increase...

Toatally agree.... for sure!!!

regardless of what there shift's are anyone know?? 4 on 4 off ??

Ones I know run 4 on, 4 off, 12 hour shifts. Two day shifts then two night shifts. 0700 to 1900 and 1900 to 0700. But the night shifts are sleepytime, unless called out....? (Some training and maintenance, but mostly sleeping....). But hey, pay rise for sure.

.......We all asked the manager what if it was your home,enough said we told him.

Always the answer to shut the managing moaners up, ay?

One of the main reasons we don't see too many get killed on the job is all the training they do.

Quoted for truth! Well done , that man.....

[JimO]

Four days on, four days off. Most firefighters I suspect have another business or a job that they work at on their days off.

I lost a lot of respect for firefighters when they (their union) wasted taxpayers' money on a citizen initiated referendum on what was an matter best addressed directly with their employer.

i know a few dunedin firefighters they are mostly tradesmen and they all work on their days off, their shifts are 2 days, 2 nights on 4 days off, some of them manage to squeeze a few hrs perking on their nightshift days, one of my best mates joined years ago for the good money and time off now he spends his days moaning about not getting paid enough, when they arnt driving about the university area perving at young girls they are back at the station sitting on their arses

[Manxman]

Perhaps your wording is'nt quite the way you meant it be?

Do firefighters deserve a pay raise?

Would this be more what you were meaning;

Should firefighters get a raise?

There's a difference between deserving one and whether it's realistically possible.

I have my own views which would get me into trouble, so i'll keep em' to meself. Although they'd surprise most of you i'd say.

I'm really legitimately not into it for the money, I love my job, and the work I get to do in the community (really). I'm not into the politics or the other crap. But as I said the rest i'll keep to myself.

Agree.....