Like many have mentioned some will be there on the tax payers dime but the majority will be there on there on. After 9/11 just form my department we had close to 200 firefighters heading to New York for the memorial. It didn't happen due to the pissin match between FDNY and Guiliani. But us along with the thousands of othes we paying our own way.
The funerals that have been happening all to regularly here in Washington for the fallen Police officers have a huge turnout but those also are for the most part voluntary. My enginge driver is a Bagpipe player and he goes to a great deal of funerals and all on his time, he does it to pay respect to the fallen. So if your inconvienenced by a funeral for a Police officer, Firefighter or Soldier remember that at least you get to go home to your family. It is the same reason that when we are on an accident call I don't have any problem closing down the road if I feel it will be safer for my crew, I don't care if someone is late to dinner or what ever what I care about is the firefighters on my crew going hom tomorrow morning when our shift is over.
