Go on then Dicky. Surprise me. What do they 'put up with' for 21K a year?
1. They have time for a second job and invariably use that time to earn more money. Many who earn equal or less don't have the opportunity for a second job.
2. It's well established that actually the job's not that dangerous. OK, more dangerous than sitting on a supermarket checkout but at last count I believe it sits at number 23 in the list of dangerous occupations according to official figures.
3. Horrific sights like RTA's are part of the job. As Jackonicko points out there are folks lining up to do this job knowing the sights they will see. These same sights are seen by ambulance workers (on less money), policemen (on a tad more but no chance of asecond income), and doctors (Full consultant NHS pay 63K).
4. Let's pick up on the relative intrinsic 'value' of a firefighter. My perception is that an ambulance worker probably undergoes a similar amount of training and subsequent stress as a firefighter but is on less money. I certainly perceive a policeman's lot to be considerably more onerous and difficult on a daily basis and probably more often more dangerous. On a different level if an NHS consultant earns between 53K and 63K per year (there are opportunities to top this up with private practice but this is not generally the gold mine you might imagine e.g. a senior consultant anaesthetist can earn about an extra 20K - but this requires far more hours a week than a fireman is putting in, and that probably includes his second job). It takes that consultant approximately 15 to 20 years (thats right) to get to the top of his profession and all the way he has to work like **** to get there and has real life saving decisions to make on a daily basis with everyone looking to him for the ultimate decision each and every time. So you reckon a couple of firemen on 30K are worth a consultant on 60K?
Let's face it, it's a basic job worth a standard wage. They should take the 11% and shut up.