Too early in the morning, a call came over the police scanner that a man had consumed an excessive amount of alcohol and was threatening “imminent suicide.” Two Duxbury police officers responded that they were on their way. As they drove, one asked the desk sergeant if there were known weapons in the house. The sergeant responded that he was already checking. A few moments went by and the officer said he was on the scene and asked again if there were weapons in the house. The sergeant said that they didn’t yet know. Last week, Duxbury firefighters responded to a house fire on Bayridge Road. Crews from Kingston assisted, while Marshfield and Pembroke jakes covered Duxbury’s stations demonstrating effortless cooperation for the greater good. Firefighters confined the fire to the basement, saving their neighbor’s home. Most important, no one was injured.

Every day I sit at my desk and listen as the voices over the scanner respond to possible break-ins, car accidents, too many medical calls to count. Whenever anyone in town calls for help, there’s always someone on the other end ready to give it. It doesn’t matter if there are possible weapons involved, if the person needing medical attention called the day before and the day before that, police and fire employees don’t hesitate to investigate every single alarm call at every single residence. They respond. They are there. Every single time.

So how is it that people whose jobs require them to wear guns and walk into burning buildings aren’t compensated at the same levels as school officials in Duxbury? It’s true that school administrators and teachers are invaluable to the culture of shaping our children. Their work requires that they have higher degrees and their pay is based on the number of years they’ve devoted to education. Good teachers and good administrators earn every penny of their salaries.

It’s also true that police and fire employees are in the top ten of wage earners for 2011. The caveat being that in many of these cases it’s because they work countless extra hours in overtime and private details. Part of the need for overtime shifts is because the town has failed to fill vacant positions in their departments.

Fire and police employees who work many hours of overtime and earn a decent wage shouldn’t be held up as examples of municipal bloat. They should be thanked for their hard work. And they should be duly compensated.

Remember that the next time you need them.

– Amy MacKinnon