Quote Originally Posted by DetroitTeacher View Post
We lived in Detroit for MANY years that dad was on the FD. He was dedicated. When the residency issue was no longer an issue, we moved to the burbs. He was still dedicated, and no less than before we moved. Dad never missed a day of work, living in or out of the city. He had his reasons for moving [[crime and having young daughters who always wanted to play outside without fear of bullets was the main reason). Do I think that the POs and FFs are any less dedicated if they live where they like? Nope. I've seen it first-hand. Allowing folks to live where they want makes for happier employees. It also makes for honest employess since most who were required to live in city for residency lied about actually doing so. I know many folks who lived in the burbs but had a Detroit address [[and a semi-vacant house).
Too many people do not understand what we went through living in Detroit when it began to decline. I worried myself sick about my children, couldn't send them to public schools, didn't let them stay outside [[even in the backyard) at certain times when the animals were roaming the streets. If my daughter went out at night I asked her to stay with her friends until the next day, especially during my shift because I didn't want her coming home alone. Our street didn't have any lights and it was a perfect haven for thugs to lay in wait for a pretty blonde girl to get out of her car. We had alarms, spot lights...I felt like I was living in an armed camp.