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If you google “America’s most dangerous jobs” a group of articles and blogs referencing a list of the Top Ten most dangerous jobs pops up. The list is rooted in on-the-job fatalities.
A list of the world’s most dangerous jobs can be found at: http://news.thomasnet.com/IMT/archives/2007/09/most_dangerous_jobs_bureau_of_labor_statistics_2006_2007.html
Curious that the list of dangerous jobs doesn't include soldiers in Iraq or Afghanistan but that’s not the point I’d like to make.
The list doesn’t include fire fighters or agents of law enforcement either. I guess fatalities per officer or fire fighter do not measure up. The list doesn't reflect the danger of the job per se, it reflects available equipment and training to perform the tasks listed or more accurately, a lack thereof.
Maybe we need to find an alternative to crop-dusting. Maybe we need commercial fishermen off their boats in Alaska until weather prediction can be perfected. I guess we need to quell our need for timber, get OSHA to frequent jobsites more often ... etc ... Maybe that’s what this list REALLY tells us.
How dangerous would a cop’s job be without weapons? How dangerous would be circus performance without nets.
The list perpetuates some misconceptions if it’s used to marginalize the dangers associated with law enforcement or fire fighting.
If just anyone who signed up to be a cop were made a cop, how dangerous would that job become? It takes a certain innate sense of bravery to control the fight or flight reaction in many situations cops and firefighters face. Timid or shy cops or firefighters would drop like flies.
The list may also reflect a lack of discipline on the part of workers interested in cutting safety corners in order to produce more and thus earn more money. I think cops are more likely to perform "by the book" (not that they all do to a T) than are roofers or commercial fishermen. I doubt too many cops show up to work drunk or on meth, but I've known a strung out roofer or two in my day!
The fisherman doesn’t necessarily realize the dangers he faces because much of it comes in the form of unforeseen rogue wave or storm. Roofers shed a fear of height and really go on without realizing the dangers that face them. They focus on getting the job done as fast as possible so as to maximize their income. Cops and firefighters are well aware of the dangers they face EVERY day, yet roofers get up there feeling safe and secure without a harness because, well…they did it yesterday and didn’t die…
You really have to examine the caliber of person who is given these jobs and the training that goes into them before they are turned loose! If roofing is TRULY more dangerous than law enforcement, why isn't there a Roofer's Academy to get them ready to perform while weeding out prospects who simply do not measure up to this hazardous task?
Cops know the dangers and are serious about keeping cops alive. They are assertive about this whereas many roofers (and other tradesman) are simply foolish about safety equipment.
It's not necessarily a perfect measure of "danger" to count the death toll per worker.
Tupac didn’t write any songs about offin’ roofers, or poppin’ caps in the posteriors of commercial fisherman. I guarantee more cops are shot at every day than ANYONE on that list of "dangerous/deadly" jobs! I guarantee more firemen run into AND out of burning buildings EVERYDAY than anyone else on that list! What takes more bravery? Roofing? Fishing? Construction? Sorry, call it a “less dangerous” position based on whatever criteria suits you, being a cop or firefighter takes a special breed both physically and psychologically.
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12 comments:
Great post and I'm totally with you on this one brother.
Fric Mon
Right on Fric Mon! Always a pleasure. Now if we can just get Denver Doug to share some wisdom around here! :)
Public servants of this ilk get WAY too much credit for their alleged bravery. Just like the military, most guys in law enforcement do it because it pays better than Burger King and is a gig where you can carry a gun, get laid and not get a college degree.
These people don't get gunned down. Most of them end up retiring at 55 after 10 years working shower security at the women's prison.
Have you ever noticed how cops just want respect? Call the guy sir. Answer questions "yes sir" and slather his ego with respect syrup. Doesn't matter if you are smoking crack in a rusted out El Camino in a school zone. You're going to get a warning, Popeye.
That said, I am glad there are guys out there who want do this job. I wouldn't do it on a bet. Hours suck. You've got to work holidays and chicks don't offer to blow their way out of tickets nearly as much as you might think.
On the upside, cops always have access to the best reefer on the planet.
Only about 1/10 of our military personnel are actually in direct combat roles. So this could very well account for why they are not on the list. But I would have to believe if you're in a direct combat role in a hot spot you'd probably be number one on the list.
I believe firefighting has become safer for many reasons. Better safety/zoning codes, fire sprinklers, etc. Firefighters have better equipment to work with. The engines pump water more efficiently. Towers give firefighters access to to extinquishing fires without the need for sending firefighters inside. Better training and safety standards which include the personal safety gear they wear, breathing apparatus, etc. Fire departments are learning there's no sense in sending firefighters into burning structures when there's no danger to life. Especially, if the structure is no longer utilized.
Police officers are better educated than ever. Better trained than ever. Law enforcement have enhanced their personal safety with the routine use of bullet resistant vests. Highly trained SWAT teams. Technology have helped officers ID potential threats much faster, e.g., ID of stolen vehicles, plates that don't match vehicles, etc. 911 dispatchers are better trained.
Nevertheless, these jobs are still inherently very dangerous.
...Blower,
Plenty education goes into training to be a Law Dawg. Soldier too! I hear boot camp is murder! Training is part of my argument that fewer Officers of the Leau, firepeople, and maybe even military personnel die on the job out of proficiency, not lack of danger as compared to roofing.
You asked, "Have you ever noticed how cops just want respect?"
Seems a bit general. Who doesn't want some respect? I doubt that's ALL they want, as evidenced by your claim that they do it for the money.
All I'm sayin' is, cops and firemen are not nearly in the same category as military men.
I celebrate their commitment to a difficult profession, but calling them "brave" or painting them with the same brush as active military is poppycock.
That's right. I said it. Poppycock.
You have a problem with refering to a fireman as "brave"? May the dude who climbs the ladder that settles outside your 5th-floor, burning, unsprinklered office be brave AND strong!
May Barney Fife never be your only source for protection in a "Trolley Square" style situation.
Same as military? Maybe maybe not, but before 9/11 and after Vietnam, I don't think it took near the nuts to sign up for the National Guard that it does today.
A fireman is brave, sure. But no more so than a Repo man, prosecuting attorney or gastric bypass surgeon.
Fireman is a cool job. But when it comes to public service, Secret Service officers, Vice cops and Union bosses - now those cats are some brave mofos.
I'm not saying firemen and cops aren't brave. I'm just saying -- as I did in my original post -- they get WAY too much credit while others are ignored.
Must be the uniforms and bright blinky lights.
Tobinium of the South Horn: The original list was regarding fishers, pilots and roofers above cops and firefighters. I’m giving the nod to our public servants in recognition of their bravery. You’re painting them with quips from your pusillanimous brush. I assert the reason they don’t die as often as roofers is the selection and training process. I’ll give your repo man a nod. You listed other civil servants who fall under much the same umbrella though their duties might tend to be more hands on than your basic traffic cop.
Bluto and Hornblower,
Hornblower makes a valid point but I believe we're talking apples and oranges concerning the military and firefighters/law enforcement in this particular blog subject.
This might be a good subject to discuss in a seperate blog. I would love to take on the hornblower concerning this topic in a more appropriate blog.
Fric Mon,
When I get back next week I will put something like that together!
I need to figure out how to put a list of the most recent comments somewhere...This list is getting deep!
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