Document Supports Extending Public Safety Officer Benefits to All EMS Practitioners
Clinton, Miss. — In a new position statement, the National Association of Emergency
Medical Technicians (NAEMT) declares support for extending the federal Public Safety
Officer Benefit program to all police, fire and EMS personnel who lose their lives providing
emergency medical services as a public service. Currently, the program covers only those
EMS practitioners employed by a government entity.
Congress established the Public Safety Officer Benefit program to provide assistance
to the survivors of police, fire and ambulance staff employed only by federal, state and
local entities in the event of their deaths in the line of duty. The program provides a onetime
financial benefit to the eligible survivors of governmental public safety officers whose
deaths are the direct result of a traumatic injury sustained in the line of duty. In addition,
disability benefits are provided to public safety officers who have been completely
disabled in the line of duty by a catastrophic injury, if that injury prevents them from
performing gainful work. The program does NOT cover non-governmental ambulance
personnel.
NAEMT strongly supports extending this benefit to cover ALL EMS practitioners who
die in the line of duty. In 2003 and 2008, bills were introduced in Congress to extend the
benefits program to non-governmental — hospital-based, non-profit and independent —
ambulance personnel such as emergency medical technicians, paramedics, nurses,
doctors, drivers and pilots. However, these bills did not pass through committee.
According to the National EMS Memorial Service, approximately 400 EMS
practitioners have died in the line of duty since 1993. While the total number of deaths
differs from year to year, the average is 25, with about half of those having been employed
by non-governmental agencies.
As of October 1, 2008, the death benefit is $315,746. To expand this benefit based on
an average of 12 line-of-duty deaths of non-governmental practitioners per year would
cost approximately $3.79 million per year.
“NAEMT is an organization that represents all EMS practitioners, whether they work in
the public or private sectors,” says Patrick Moore, NAEMT President. “Extending the Public
Safety Officer Benefit program to all EMS practitioners helps enforce the value of the lifesaving
skills and service of these dedicated men and women delivering EMS services
nationwide.”
To view the full position statement, please visit the NAEMT Positions page on the
NAEMT web site: http://www.naemt.org/advocacy/naemt_positions.aspx.
Formed in 1975 and today more than 27,000 members strong, NAEMT is the nation’s
only organization solely dedicated to representing the professional interests of EMS
practitioners, including paramedics, emergency medical technicians, first responders and
other professionals working in pre-hospital emergency medicine. NAEMT members work in
all sectors of EMS, including government service agencies, fire departments, hospital-based
ambulance services, private companies, industrial and special operations settings, and in
the military.
About NAEMT:
The National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT) is the only national membership association for EMS practitioners, including Paramedics, EMTs, First Responders, and other professionals working in prehospital emergency medicine. More than 27,000 NAEMT members work in all sectors of EMS, including government third service agencies, fire departments, hospital-based ambulance services, private companies, industrial and special operations settings and in the military.