Overtime aversion multiplies disaster risk

When local leaders refuse to pay overtime or pre‑position specialist teams during elevated risk periods, towns can be left understaffed at critical moments. In Ruidoso, the fire chief resisted stationing off‑duty swiftwater technicians before the flash flooding, and responders say that lack of predeployment and training contributed directly to delayed rescues and deaths. — This frames a common municipal budgeting stance (avoiding overtime) as a scalable policy failure that amplifies harm from extreme weather, suggesting reforms to staffing rules, emergency pay, and prepositioning mandates.