This thread opened my eyes a bit... I assumed most people understood desert !== a sterile sand landscape.
Here's a photo I snapped from my backyard just now. This is the Sonoran Desert in Phoenix, but much of the southwest is like this. Not exactly a dead ecosystem.
> face health risks that relatively few people are willing to take on
My perception of this (not a firefighter, just have a few friends that are), is that you need to know someone, usually close family, to even have a shot at getting in. Have had other friends give up after years pursuing fire jobs, because it is difficult to break into. Those who made it in had parents in the FD.
Don't let the healthcare issue scare you. I've been on high-deductible Marketplace plans for the past few years, having gone through a pregnancy and delivery with complications, among a few other health concerns.
As long as you have the cushion to cover the high deductible (~$6000), there's probably not much to worry about. I had the same deductible at a previous employer, so the current situation feels identical to me.
This is pretty unusual for anyone doing it seriously. I've "flipped" (not exactly -- mostly major additions and teardowns that we hold for 6-12 months) the past 5 years and haven't met anyone who exclusively uses their own cash. We use some of our own cash, but you have to look at the opportunity cost.
The interesting part has been the interest rates. We started out borrowing hard money at 14% and are down to 7-8% now depending on the lender. Lots of cash out there chasing returns.
> I've also seen things like lamp cord used in fixed wiring behind walls or in attics.
We found exactly that, lamp cords and extension cords, when we started our remodel a month ago. The former owner did some renovation ten years ago, and was an architect so we always assumed he did a decent job. That was one of a few questionable choices he made, so we're now re-wiring the entire house.
In the short term, sure. In the longer term, when increased taxes and decreased services impact the average person, these promises will be renegotiated.
Many also retire young. My firefighter buddy will retire well before his 50th birthday and collect >$100k/yr in a relatively low COL state. He's in good shape, physically and mentally. He could easily live to 90, no problem. Good for him, but not great for taxpayers.
>My firefighter buddy will retire well before his 50th birthday and collect >$100k/yr
How is this possible? The state that he lives in hasn't changed the rules for vesting/collection? That seems like an absurd amount of money for what I'm assuming is a career that's lasted less than 30 years.
Most public safety people can retire at half pay with 20 years, and it goes up year by year, usually capping at 60-70% of the average salaries of the last 3-5 years. Many contracts don't cap overtime with respect to pension calculations.
If you join at 18, at 50 you'll have 32 years, which in many departments means seniority to get alot of overtime. It's a decision that the municipality makes -- they understaff to preserve cash and dump the longer-term problem on the bigger pension fund.
The early retirement is important, as the life expectancy for police/fire drops significantly based on retirement age. But the polices re: overtime as it impacts pensions are often too generous. These issues are "fixed" for normal employees in most places -- for example in NY non-public safety employees and teachers have caps (~10%) on how much your salary can increase for pension purposes and either eliminate or cap how overtime applies.
My wife worked for a public employer who had a way to let overtime go into an optional 401k-type plan at a higher rate so that blue collar employees would have an easier time retiring on time. (Many blue collar folks basically depend on OT)
Is there no level of personal responsibility involved? If the whole of my retirement was tied up in the promises of one entity... I have to imagine I'd be deeply concerned when my pension is underfunded. And underfunding is not new, there has been plenty of time to adjust on a personal level.
