When a fire truck leaves a Houston fire station, every firefighter on that apparatus is being paid a salary by Houston taxpayers. However, at any given time, there may be a firefighter on a truck who is making hundreds of dollars in cash, on top of his salary.
"The way it is, you're getting paid, on top of getting paid," says a veteran Houston firefighter. "I guess that's the best way to describe it."
The firefighter did not want to identify himself for fear of being criticized by his coworkers. He approached Eyewitness News two weeks ago because he said he was frustrated with the way fire stations are being staffed around the city. The firefighter says the practice of using so called cash riders is very common.