58. Firefighters

The Economics of Everyday Things

There are more firefighters than ever — and fewer fires for them to fight. So the job has changed. Zachary Crockett slides down the pole.

• SOURCES:
  • Joshua Hurwitz, lecturer in economics at Tufts University.
  • Eric Mackintosh, administrative battalion fire chief for San Mateo Consolidated Fire Department.
  • Steve Pegram, retired fire chief and township administrator in Ohio.

• RESOURCES:
  • "The Dire Shortage of Volunteer Firefighters in the US," by Sam Becker (BBC, 2024).
  • San Mateo Consolidated Fire Department 2023 Annual Report (2024).
  • "Essays on the Economics of U.S. Firefighting," by Joshua Hurwitz (Harvard University doctoral dissertation, 2021).
  • "Over Last 20 Years, Annual Fires in the US Declined by About 50% While Career Firefighters Increased More Than 50%?" by Mark J. Perry (AEIdeas, 2015).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Getting Old, Adventurously," by People I (Mostly) Admire (2024).