"Too many police officers and fire fighters die in the line of duty", this could be a head line in any news paper anywhere in the United States and the back story could make a reference to the $100,000.00 death benefit that is paid out automatically to the fallen members’ family.

When an Emergency Medical Technician is killed in the line of duty the survivors get $0. Why is this?

As an EMT I have found myself in situations where just working at a motor vehicle crash has almost cost me my life due to other drivers not seeing us in the road because they were watching the pretty lights, or we are first too arrive at a scene of a house fire, hear someone screaming to help them get out of the house, no fire fighters are on the scene yet so out of instinct to save a life we are their only hope and we risk our lives to save another.

Many of us have been killed just trying to get to a scene when other drivers cut us off on the road or crash into us by going through red lights, stop signs and a million other ways to roll our ambulance over from impacting us.

And what do we get in return for putting our lives on the line, NOTHING, not one cent will be paid out too our loved ones because we are not classified as a profession.

We must go through vigorous training, have to pass tough tests to get certified and have to re-certify every two years and we are still not a "Profession" so we do not qualify for the death benefit allotted to Fire fighters and police officers does this make sense to anyone?

No wonder so many EMTs are finding other ways to make a living, I know that if I were made aware of this before starting my EMT training I would have found another way to make a living.

As EMTs we have tried to get answers from every agency known to man and still our pleas fall on deaf ears.

Do you know that our "trade" is over seen by the Dept of Transportation, WHY? What does the D.O.T know about saving lives as an EMT...NOTHING that’s what.

There is so much wrong with the EMS system that the only way to fix it would be too scrap the whole D.O.T connection and to find qualified Emergency Medical Coordinators to over see our "Profession" which would have to be classified as a profession under a new system first.

So the next time you see an ambulance on the road remember, if we die on the job there is nothing to take care of our loved ones and children as they put us in the ground.

At a funeral for Fire Fighters and Police they have the equivalent of a military send off, for EMTs a simple cremation is about all the family will be able to afford without a death benefit.

Some one should sort this mess out or at least bring this issue out into the light for the public too see.

I'm but one voice in the dark, screaming out for the system too do the right thing and my voice gets lost in the sea of concern over the safety of all other public servants first.

I was once asked if I would encourage my Grand children to follow in my foot steps and my answer is a resounding NO, why should they be ignored if killed in the line of duty, why would I want them to leave their loved ones with nothing but funeral bills.

At my age I couldn't find the resources to go back to school to learn another "profession" so I'm stuck trying to support a family by being the best EMT I can be and my only wish is that I never get killed while trying to help my fellow man because my family will have NO means to burry me.

If there is anyone out there that can shine some light on this issue please contact me and I'll help in any way I can.

Sincerely, an EMT without protection.