What’s it take to save lives for a living? – Michael Morse

by Michael Morse, contributing writer

Public safety jobs were once reserved for the best of the best, derived through rigorous testing, background checks and psychological screenings.

The pool of applicants was vast because the pay was a little better than average and the benefits far better. Healthcare for life and a pension after twenty years of service were common.

When those benefits were reduced, and the pay did not keep up with other vocations, fewer people applied for the positions. Standards were lowered to increase diversity in the ranks, and many police and firefighters were no longer the best of the best, just average Joes and Janes looking for steady work.

Well, a desire for steady work with average pay and benefits doesn’t cut it for public safety. Punching in and punching out eight hours later, and leaving work the same way you began, doesn’t happen. 

We get what we pay for, and if we are not willing to pay for excellence we will suffer with less than exemplary people with power to detain, fine and subdue the public, and others not 100% committed to saving the lives, well being, and property of their fellow man. 

And that is not my opinion, it is simply the way the world works.

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Michael Morse, [email protected], a monthly contributor is a retired Captain with the Providence Fire Department

Michael Morse spent 23 years as a firefighter/EMT with the Providence Fire Department before retiring in 2013 as Captain, Rescue Co. 5. He is an author of several books, most offering fellow firefighter/EMTs and the general population alike a poignant glimpse into one person’s journey through life, work and hope for the future. He is a Warwick resident.