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Monday, September 07, 2015

Fewer fires, so why are there far more firefighters?

 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. When they break out, sprinkler systems almost always extinguish the flames before firefighters can turn on a hose.
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6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Landscape a yard? You're kidding, right? Our guys don't even cut their own station's grass, let alone landscape or take care of landscaping. That's all done by a contractor.

Anonymous said...

This article slipped in. It was up last year. Caused a good discussion last time. Can't wait.

Anonymous said...

I'm making some popcorn then...I'll watch!!!

Anonymous said...


Overlooking the obvious...

Back in the day when the first cited statistics occurred we had far fewer restaurants to select from.

Anonymous said...

U left out the spare time to hook up at the fire house with girls at night and watching porn on their computers.

Anonymous said...

Awwwww not getting the attention you thought. Your minions do not care anymore.