Ironically, a similar policy was put into effect in a nearby city to me (Waterbury, CT), and it wasn't a power grab so much as a "we're paying them anyway" thin

Ironically, a similar policy was put into effect in a nearby city to me (Waterbury, CT), and it wasn't a power grab so much as a "we're paying them anyway" thing. (They became mandatory first responders, but EMTs were still a separate thing.) Of course, Waterbury has a habit of fatal accidents involving fire trucks (including hitting each other!), so that made me feel like everyone loses in that one.