This cost of government bureaucracy!

The fire district I retired from has not hired any more inspectors in the 27 years I worked there while the population quadrupled along with the level of business. Along with our heavy call load we were given (line personnel) hundreds of less complicated inspections to accomplish. One day while sitting in the fire engine while the three of us were on inspection, a taxpayer came up to me shaking his finger and asked why it took three guys and an expensive fire engine to do one mans job. I explained that the other two firemen were each doing inspections while I watched the engine as we recently had a chain saw stolen which forced us a policy of not leaving the rig unattended. I told him they hadn't hired more inspectors but gave inspections to us to do between calls and it worked out far cheaper than hiring another man and getting him a car. I explained that87% our budget was wages alone. He seemed satisfied with my reply but I was wondering how many hundreds of folks walk or drive by and see us but don't ask and then tell all their friends about the boondoggle they witnessed that day?