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The second-in-command of the FDNY has retired on a tax-free disability pension worth an estimated $242,000 annually for the rest of his life -- the highest ever awarded to a city firefighter, sources said.
Frank Cruthers, 63, who earned $201,020 a year as the department's first deputy commissioner, was approved last week for the extraordinarily lucrative pension by the FDNY Pension Fund board of trustees.
Let's see...FDNY is the largest fire department in the U.S.A., maybe one of the largest in the world. This guy was responsible for over 16,000 employees (not unlike a major private-sector company where a retiring second-in-command might be getting MILLIONS in pension benefits and stock options...) Think of the burden of providing fire & rescue services to the city, its residents and visitors. With that kind of responsiblity (AND the cost of living in New York) I think he should be getting even MORE.
Forget football, baseball or basketball; our national pastime is ENVY...
Last edited by Crew Chief; 04-03-2010 at 05:34 PM..
I have no problem with this. This fireman ran towards burning buildings, not away from them and was in harm's way every single time the alarm went off. I'm sure he saw fellow firemen get killed, burned and maimed over the course of his career and probably suffered his fair share of injuries.
Let him enjoy his pension. He earned it.
Last edited by cleasach; 04-03-2010 at 06:08 PM..
Reason: fixed grammatical error
I have no problem with this. This fireman ran towards burning buildings, not away from them and was in harm's way every single time the alarm went off. I'm sure he saw fellow firemen get killed, burned and maimed over the course of his career and probably suffered his fair share of injuries.
Let him enjoy his pension. He earned it.
Oh please don't be so dramatic. Firefighters don't even make the list of the top 10.
Most perilous jobs
According to the BLS, the following jobs had the highest fatality rates for 2006:
Fishers and related fishing workers Fatality rate (per 100,000 workers): 141.7
Number of fatalities: 51
Average salary: $19,104
Aircraft pilots and flight engineers
Fatality rate (per 100,000 workers): 87.8
Number of fatalities: 101
Average salary: $129,250
Logging workers
Fatality rate (per 100,000 workers): 82.1
Number of fatalities: 64
Average salary: $22,320
Structural iron and steel workers Fatality rate (per 100,000 workers): 61.0
Number of fatalities: 36
Average salary: $39,168
Refuse and recyclable material collectors
Fatality rate (per 100,000 workers): 41.8
Number of fatalities: 38
Average salary: $23,770
Farmers and ranchers Fatality rate (per 100,000 workers): 37.1
Number of fatalities: 291
Average salary: $15,603
Electrical power-line installers and repairers
Fatality rate (per 100,000 workers): 34.9
Number of fatalities: 38
Average salary: $45,331
Roofers
Fatality rate (per 100,000 workers): 33.9
Number of fatalities: 82
Average salary: $28,474
Driver/sales workers and truck drivers
Fatality rate (per 100,000 workers): 27.1
Number of fatalities: 940
Average salary: $30,931 (for heavy or tractor-trailer drivers)
Miscellaneous agricultural workers
Fatality rate (per 100,000 workers): 21.7
Number of fatalities: 158
Average salary: $24,140
If fightfighters were private sector employees they'd be paid much less with no pensions just like the rest of us.
Wheelsup, I believe you're responding to Cleasach's post about the dangers of firefighting. And I agree that firefighting, while hazardous, is carried out with considerable planning and procedures in place to reduce risk. Unlike some of the other occupations that have high fatality rates. I'm also sure it has been many years since fire officers of Commissioner Cruthers hauled hose and pulled people out of burning buildings.
Fire Commissioner Cruthers is the equivalent of a senior executive in the private sector and I believe his pension correctly reflects that.
Wheelsup, I believe you're responding to Cleasach's post about the dangers of firefighting. And I agree that firefighting, while hazardous, is carried out with considerable planning and procedures in place to reduce risk. Unlike some of the other occupations that have high fatality rates. I'm also sure it has been many years since fire officers of Commissioner Cruthers hauled hose and pulled people out of burning buildings.
I'm sure that's true but this guy was probably a fireman for many years and if the system is in place for him to advance and earn such a pension, more power to him. Would I like to have that pension? Of course. Will I? Not even remotely close. I see no reason to begrudge him what he's earned simply because I have not earned similar compensation.
Let's see...FDNY is the largest fire department in the U.S.A., maybe one of the largest in the world. This guy was responsible for over 16,000 employees (not unlike a major private-sector company where a retiring second-in-command might be getting MILLIONS in pension benefits and stock options...) Think of the burden of providing fire & rescue services to the city, its residents and visitors. With that kind of responsiblity (AND the cost of living in New York) I think he should be getting even MORE.
Forget football, baseball or basketball; our national pastime is ENVY...
Oh please don't be so dramatic. Firefighters don't even make the list of the top 10.
Most perilous jobs
According to the BLS, the following jobs had the highest fatality rates for 2006:
Fishers and related fishing workers Fatality rate (per 100,000 workers): 141.7
Number of fatalities: 51
Average salary: $19,104
Aircraft pilots and flight engineers
Fatality rate (per 100,000 workers): 87.8
Number of fatalities: 101
Average salary: $129,250
Logging workers
Fatality rate (per 100,000 workers): 82.1
Number of fatalities: 64
Average salary: $22,320
Structural iron and steel workers Fatality rate (per 100,000 workers): 61.0
Number of fatalities: 36
Average salary: $39,168
Refuse and recyclable material collectors
Fatality rate (per 100,000 workers): 41.8
Number of fatalities: 38
Average salary: $23,770
Farmers and ranchers Fatality rate (per 100,000 workers): 37.1
Number of fatalities: 291
Average salary: $15,603
Electrical power-line installers and repairers
Fatality rate (per 100,000 workers): 34.9
Number of fatalities: 38
Average salary: $45,331
Roofers
Fatality rate (per 100,000 workers): 33.9
Number of fatalities: 82
Average salary: $28,474
Driver/sales workers and truck drivers
Fatality rate (per 100,000 workers): 27.1
Number of fatalities: 940
Average salary: $30,931 (for heavy or tractor-trailer drivers)
Miscellaneous agricultural workers
Fatality rate (per 100,000 workers): 21.7
Number of fatalities: 158
Average salary: $24,140
If fightfighters were private sector employees they'd be paid much less with no pensions just like the rest of us.
On the job it can or can't be that bad. It's AFTER you retire then many FF's die within 5-7 years due to the constant stress and extraordinary situations they faces over their 25 year career. Imagine getting up 3-4 times after midinight during a 24 hour shift. Human bodies aren't designed to work 24 hours straight. Human bodies are designed to sleep EVERY night solid. So imagine every 3rd at the fire house....after a busy shift during the day, you put your head down to catch some ZZZZ's.. Your heart at a cool 57 beats per minute, deep state of REM and all of a sudden LOUD tones go off. You bolt up from bed startled, your heart racing at 120 beats per minute....off to the truck and en route to the call within 2 minutes. Do that for 25 plus years every 3rd day and see what that does to your metabolism, your heart and your immune system. It's called silent death.
Big surprise. Government always overpays itself, even more so in liberal cities like NYC.
Written by someone who has obviously never worked for the government. I've got a question, JS1 (and the other critics of government employees); Since all of you in the private sector are crying "poor" now that the economy has taken away your big jobs and bigger bonuses, stock options and other bennies and you believe that public sector employees should share your pain, why didn't you offer to share those bonuses and bennies with the public servants back when YOU were on Easy Street and made fun of the low pay they were getting??? Socialism is only a bad thing if YOU have to pay for something...
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Government always overpays itself, even more so in liberal cities like NYC.
