“What Governor Christie
Doesn’t Want You to Know”

 

New Jersey Professional Firefighter's

Physical Facts

1.    Life expectancy for Firefighters after retirement is approximately 6 years. (USA Today)

 

2.    Every Fire Department in NJ is currently understaffed, leaving Firefighters and citizens at considerable risk.  (NFPA)

   

3.    Firefighting is a young man’s profession and one of the “most dangerous and stressful jobs in the United States.”

  

4..   Firefighter’s have the longest work week of any public employee. (42 hours)

 

5.    Firefighter’s work night, weekends, all major holidays, for straight time.

 

6..   Firefighters are 10 to 100 times more likely to suffer from a heart attack.  (NEJM)

 

7.    Firefighters are 10 to 30 times more likely to suffer from lung disease, cancer, diabetes, blood borne pathogens, flu strains, back, hip
       and knee injuries, broken bones, hearing loss, loss of taste and sense of smell.  (NEJM)   “With continued neglect, the fire service will
       continue to lose countless members to mental and physical fatigue before their time.”

http://firechief.com/health_safety/firefighting_friendly_advice/index.html

 

8.    Firefighters are exposed to and suffer physical, emotional and mental stress from witnessing the following: homelessness, poverty,
       domestic violence, child abuse, drug abuse, alcoholism, sexual abuse, violent death, suicide and man’s general inhumanity to man.
       (NEJM)

 

9.    Stress from job spills over into home life, causing a higher rate of divorce, approx. 75% nationwide.  (Portia Rawles, PSY.D.)

 

10.  Health Benefits ARE a critical component to a firefighter’s rehabilitation.
 
New Jersey Professional Firefighter's

Financial Facts

1.    Firefighters are not eligible for Social Security upon retirement, as are private sector employees.

 

2.    The average annual salary for Firefighters is $56,000, well below the average mean income. Most take 7 to 10 years to reach top pay.

http://epi.org/publications/entry/BP270

 

3.    NJ’s Firefighter’s and Police sustain their own pension system and contribute 8.5% of their salaries, among the highest of any NJ public
       employee.

 

4.    Firefighter’s and Police pensions have been raided (stolen) $3.5 billion year since the Whitman administration (1995 NY Times)

                                       

5.    Firefighters across the State agreed to millions in freezes and concessions to avert layoffs.

 

6.    Firefighters and Police pensions are sustainable and improving annually.(NJLM, William Dressel)

 

       “Letter to NJ Mayors”: http://njfmba.org/bulletin/2011/January 2011 Web Version.pdf (January Bulletin)

 

       Rachel MaddowVideo: www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/#40902120

 

7.    NJ State has failed to fund their pension obligations for 8 consecutive years.  Governor Christie has yet to make a payment, as is his
       obligation.    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-reich/the-shameful-attack-on-pu_b_805050.html

 

8.    Most municipalities have deferred (borrowed) payments into firefighter pension fund.