Photo by Matthew Rice

Do we take our first responders for granted? Bill Finegan thinks so. A veteran first responder and retired paramedic from the Philadelphia Fire Department, he believes that the nearly 300 firefighters, police officers and EMT workers who die each year and the thousands who are seriously injured should get proper recognition – and that we should take better care of their families.

So he and a group of colleagues have created the First Responders Institute (honoringheroes.com) to raise money for a national benefits fund. (Some first responders’ families are eligible for federal benefits but it’s a bureaucratic process and can take months.)

The impetus came from the 2009 funeral they attended of a fallen Philadelphia police officer. “The night he died, he had $17 in his checking account,” recalls Finegan. “We held fundraisers for the family, sold T-shirts, but the money didn’t get there fast enough.”

The fact that their day-to-day life saving mission requires speed over virtually everything – respond to a 911 call in less than 60 seconds in a fire station or you’ll be fired – they were frustrated at the slow speed of their efforts.

So they decided to look for a better way to raise money. And they realized they could also address another difficult issue in the first responder world – recognition for service.

Unlike the military, which has strict guidelines, standardized awarding criteria, and a specific hierarchy of medals awarded for specific actions – purple heart for those injured in action, for example – first responders are given awards by the myriad of townships, municipalities, and boroughs which run their own police, fire and emergency services across the nation. These are important forms of recognition within that district, but virtually meaningless anywhere else.

As Finegan says: “What’s the point of recognition if it’s not recognized?”

So the group, in consultation with first responders from across the nation, spent the past two years creating their nonprofit organization, and a standardized set of medals for heroism and actions “above and beyond the call of duty.” These now include, among others, Service Crosses, the Silver Star, the Bronze Star and the Franklin Medal (equivalent to the Purple Heart), which will be awarded at the county and state level.

And, to tie in with their goal of creating a families’ benefits fund, the organization plans to ask the public to “buy” the medals for $20 each, $10 of which covers the cost of manufacturing by workers from Elwyn, a Pennsylvania-based nonprofit organization which helps people with disabilities. The other $10 will go to endow what they’re calling the Homeland Heroes Fund.

“If we get 1% of the nation to donate – the same number as we have first responders in the nation, about 3 million – we’ll be in good shape,” says Finegan.

To honor the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the group auctioned off the first medals cast from each category. Finegan considers the actions of the first responders that day to reflect the mindset of first responders everywhere. “They knew full well what they were walking into. They accepted the risk. That’s what makes us different. We’re willing to place our own life in jeopardy to save the life of someone we’ve never met.”

What you can do:

Donate to the First Responders Institute (click on "Donate" in the box on the right hand side of this story)

Buy a medal here