When Is an Emergency Not an Emergency?

St. Clair County fire departments that want firefighters to accompany ambulances on nonemergency medical calls will end up straining already fragile budgets, Fiscal Policy Director Mike LaFaive told the Port Huron Times Herald.

“This sounds like a classic case of a desperate attempt by government employees to remain … relevant,” LaFaive told the paper. “They of course have every reason to sell it as a customer-service improvement. I think this is more about self-service than public service.”

Research by Fiscal Policy Analyst James Hohman shows that state and local public-sector employees receive benefits worth about $5.7 billion more annually compared to the private sector.

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