Still Here to Help

The police were the first to go. Not that that shocked anyone. With all the brutality, abuse of power, bribery being done, it had gotten to the point where they were causing more crimes than they prevented. The final nail was when a bribed chief of police shot the local politician he was meant to protect on national TV. It didn’t take long after that for the remaining politicians to unanimously decide that “While the police have in the past have done a great job at keeping the people of this country safe, it is time for the government to step back and allow private security companies take over.” The police stations were all shut down in quick order, and almost as quickly organized crime grew tenfold. Those who could afford personal security didn’t notice a difference. Those that couldn’t learned to be more careful where they walked.

Next to go were the ambulances. With rise of organized crime also came a rise in drugs. Not all drugs though were harmful. Many in fact were the same kind used in the hospitals, being made readily available for cheap. With the increase of black-market pharmaceuticals, less people opted to go to the hospitals. In response doctors increased their rates to make up for lost revenue. This in turn drove even more people away. In the end it was to expensive to keep the hospitals open any more, so they closed. Doctors open up private practices, and the need for ambulances just went away.

The fire department is the only one still around. They put out the fires still, and help get cats out of trees. The increased budget from the defunct police department allowed for better equipment, training, and pay. Most of hospital staff that did not join private practices also end up there. They might not be able to protect you from trouble, but you can bet they will do their best to get you out. You need help, emergency or not, call the fire department.