Everyone says they appreciate our firefighters and other first responders. But when you find out just how little we pay the people who put their lives on the line to protect our homes and businesses — and accept a lifespan that is, on average, ten years shorter than what the rest of us can expect to enjoy — it becomes pretty clear that maybe we don’t actually appreciate them as much as we should. Is thirty thousand dollars a year really the best we can offer?

I asked, Virginia Purdy, who  trains paramedics at Blue Ridge Community College and volunteers for more than one of Polk County’s fire departments.

Resources

Change.org petition:

https://www.change.org/p/support-better-pay-and-staffing-for-polk-county-fire-departments

Firefighter lifespan:

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/how-firefighters-life-saving-work-puts-them-at-a-higher-risk-of-cancer