[blueash]

I think that public servants deserve a good income. However comparing the salaries and benefits of a Villages' firefighter to the national average is wrong. The comparison needs to be made to a person in a similar sized community with similar risk pattern.

A firefighter in NYC is tasked with a much more dangerous job. High rise old buildings, freezing weather, shootings, toxic chemicals, heavy industry and a much higher cost of living. The overwhelming majority of buildings here are single story, no basements into which a structure might collapse, a cooperative citizenry, modern buildings up to code, no realistic expectation of getting shot at or dealing with daily exposures to HIV, Hepatitis B, TB, heroin overdoses and the other common events in a big city. How many fires does the Villages experience in a year? Very few. I suspect most Villages' firefighters don't average one significant fire run a year. Could be wrong.

It is important that our emergency services be competent and compassionate but in all honesty the intensity of services required here is lower than most other places and there really is nothing wrong with younger professionals gaining experience in this low intensity environment then if they wish moving on to more challenging professional environments with appropriately higher benefits. There is a problem if our safety personnel are going from our situation to a similar situation and getting better pay and benefits. I don't know if that is in fact happening.