I agree...firefighters are commonly smug assholes who are no different than cops. I am going to add in that PAYING firefighters is the biggest waste of government funds. Every body wants to be a hero, right? And I don't know what you think, but in my opinion, if you are doing your job, you aren't exactly a real hero. What they need to do is restructure the paid fire departments and turn them into strictly volunteer. It wouldn't be that hard. I'm sure that many, many would volunteer to work a few shifts a week or a month. I would do a couple myself as I would love a rush and wouldn't feel right getting paid to help others. There are many others out there who agree with me. Unfortunately, the firefighters union is the biggest union in the United States but never say never.