When families gather for the holidays, workers nationwide often get time off to spend with loved ones. That isn't always the case for thousands of public employees who work as first responders. The holidays can be a stressful time for those in law enforcement and firefighting. In fact, the holidays often result in higher numbers of incidents as folks strive to create festive memories. Yet, most first responders stay on the job despite the stress of the holidays and beyond.

Looking at U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission data, it is easy to see that potential dangers don't take a break during the holiday season. Neither do public employees serving as law enforcement and other first responder jobs. 

The proof is in the number and types of incidents that keep first responders and hospital emergency rooms busy during the holidays. Consider this new review of data from the Commission: 

• In 2020, there were nearly 150,000 toy-related, emergency department-treated injuries and nine deaths among children ages 14 and younger. Most of the deaths are associated with choking on small parts of toys.
• Nonmotorized scooters account for 21% of all toy-related, emergency department-treated injuries. In 2021, there were 41,700 scooter injuries reported, up from 35,600 in 2020.
• Cooking fires remain the No. 1 cause of residential fires. There are about 360,000 home fires annually, resulting in roughly 2,400 deaths and nearly 10,400 injuries.
• The Commission has tracked 222 fire or scald/burn incidents involving turkey fryers since 1998. The incidents resulted in 83 injuries and $9.7 million in property loss.
• Each year, more than 1,700 cooking fires occur on Thanksgiving Day, more than three times as many as any other day.
• On average, there are about 160 decorating-related injuries each day during the holiday season. Almost half of the incidents involve falls. Around 14,800 people were treated in emergency rooms for injuries caused by holiday decorating during the 2019 holiday season.
• Dry Christmas trees and unattended candles lead to dangerous fires. Between 2016 and 2018, there were about 100 Christmas tree fires and about 1,100 candle fires in November and December each year. The incidents resulted in 30 deaths, 180 injuries, and nearly $56 million in property loss per year.

Vital Services

State and local government employees provide vital services to their communities during the holidays so that families nationwide have life- and property-saving services available when needed. According to the National Institute on Retirement Security, public employees such as police and firefighters see benefits as an essential recruitment tool despite high stress and lower salaries. According to the Institute, a reduction in benefits threatens to turn state and local government workers away from public service.

The Institute is a nonprofit organization that contributes research regarding the value of retirement security to employees, employers and the U.S. economy. To better understand the sentiment of state and local public employees regarding their job, pay, and benefits, the organization commissioned a 2019 national public opinion survey.

According to the survey, nearly all state and local workers (93%) indicate that pensions incentivize public workers to have long public service careers. Additionally, 94% of respondents say pensions help attract and retain employees.

In addition, some 73% of respondents say cutting their pension could increase their likelihood of leaving their jobs, according to research done by the Institute. And 79% say they would be more likely to leave their job if their employers cut their healthcare benefits from their pensions. Nearly all (92%) of state and local employees say eliminating pensions for the public workforce weakens a government's ability to attract and retain qualified workers, while the vast majority say eliminating pensions would weaken public safety.

Also included is an analysis of the sentiment among critical occupations in state and local government, such as law enforcement and firefighting. The study's findings suggest state and local employees are generally satisfied with their jobs despite high-stress levels and prioritize serving the public.

Firefighters

According to the Institute's survey results, while 85% of firefighters say their jobs are stressful, 96% say they are committed to serving the public.

Firefighters also have a highly favorable view (98%) of their defined-benefit pensions, and 97% say that providing death and disability benefits is an important feature of a pension plan. The firefighters who responded to the survey overwhelmingly agree that a pension benefit is a major reason they chose a public sector job. Most firefighters (92%) say a pension benefit is a major reason they stay in their career, and 99% say they plan to stay with their current employer until they are eligible for retirement or can no longer work.

Switching out of a pension, say 69% of firefighters, would make them more likely to leave their job, while 82% say they would be more likely to leave their job if their employer cut their pension. According to 93% of firefighters, eliminating pensions for the public workforce would weaken public safety. A pension is an effective tool for retaining employees, say 99% of firefighters. 

Law Enforcement

Law enforcement professionals have similar sentiments regarding their service and pension benefits, according to the results of the Institute's survey.

Most law enforcement professionals (95%) say they are committed to serving the public. Most (95%) also consider their jobs to be stressful.

Regarding their views of defined-benefit pensions, 97% of law enforcement professionals have favorable views, and 97% say that providing death and disability is an essential feature of a pension.

A majority of law enforcement (90%) say they plan to stay with their employer until they are eligible for retirement or can no longer work. 70% of the public workgroup say switching out of a pension would make them more likely to leave their law enforcement job, and 88% indicate they would be more likely to leave their job if their employer cut their retirement benefit.