Fires Are Down Fifty Percent in the Last Thirty Years But Paid Firefighters Are Up Fifty Percent? No Way. Way!

“If you want to chat with a firefighter or see a fire truck up close, you can go down to the local firehouse at any time of day. The crew will probably be there, lifting weights or washing down the already gleaming red engines. Career firefighters usually live at the firehouse for a day or two, then take as many as three days off. Between eating and sleeping at the station, they mop floors, clean toilets and landscape the yard - with a few hours set aside daily for training and drills. Mid-morning, you'll find several of them at the local supermarket doing the day's grocery shopping.

In other words, being a firefighter these days doesn't involve a lot of fighting fire.

Rapid improvements in fire safety have caused a dramatic drop in the number of blazes, according to the National Fire Protection Association. Buildings are constructed with fire-resistant materials; clothing and curtains are made of flame-retardant fabrics; and municipal laws mandate sprinkler systems and smoke detectors. The striking results: On highways, vehicle fires declined 64 percent from 1980 to 2013. Building fires fell 54 percent during that time.

But oddly, as the number of fires has dropped, the ranks of firefighters have continued to grow - significantly. There are half as many fires as there were 30 years ago, but about 50 percent more people are paid to fight them.” - Fewer fires, so why are there far more firefighters? Washington Post, 09/04/2015

Link to the entire article appears below:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2015/09/04/05316abe-517c-11e5-933e-7d06c647a395_story.html