It gets me everyday. What you ask? The general apathy of the general public to the fire, rescue, EMS and police services. Has the public totally forgotten the sacrifices the men & women make for them on a daily (sometimes hourly) basis? Everyone seems to believe for some reason that we in the fire service have unlimited funding. Where do they get their information?
Where I live, we have 17 seperate departments. Of these, at least 4, possibly 5, recieve some funding from their respective towns. However, they are all dependent on 3 mil tax money, fundraising and donations just like the rest of the departments. All of these departments are volunteer.
I believe part of the problem comes from TV. No shows actually show what goes into a typical shift or tour. The paperwork required, the never ending training, the search for grants or donations to get that used engine, the newer equipment or just the fuel to continue making runs. This is a part of our lives the public never sees, but we deal with on a daily basis.
Please educate the public in what we have chosen as our calling. What we do is not for everyone, but by the public being more knowledgable about why we do this & what it takes to get it done, it could only help us.