The 17.5% raise recently granted to the city’s firefighters after tremulous debate becomes less a bone of contention following two serious fires on Beacon Hill and another serious fire in Charlestown.
A man jumped from the third floor of a burning Beacon Hill building on Phillips Street and the burning of DeLuca’s Market was a tremendous loss and not without irony after it was all cleaned up.
The Charlestown four alarmer might have taken a number of people with it had it not been for the mighty response of the fire department. In addition, all these fires were fought during the hottest days of the years requiring team type actions between various squadrons of firefighters because of the intensity of the heat.
About two dozen firefighters were taken to the hospital while fighting these fires – and many years from now, the toll taken on these men may lead to early death or physical impairment.
Knowing this takes the rough edge off such raises, especially when those of us who are not firefighters begin to wonder how and why firefighters want to do what they do.