Hometown heroes act

Our hometowns are blessed to have the support of brave and dedicated folks who keep our streets safe and are the first to respond to an emergency. Our hometown heroes deserve to know that their families will be compensated in the event of a tragedy.

Since 9/11, there has been a lot of talk about assisting first responders. I introduced the Hometown Heroes Survivor Benefit Act to make sure the rhetoric resulted in action. With passage of this act, we now have extended federal benefits to the survivors of public safety officers, including police officers, firefighters and other first responders who are killed by heart attacks or strokes while on duty. Heart attacks and strokes represent a significant risk among public safety officers, accounting for nearly half of firefighter deaths each year.

This legislation was rooted in North Carolina , born out of a letter written to me by Mike Williams, who works as a volunteer fire chief in Bunnlevel and in the Department of Insurance's Office of State Fire Marshal, and inspired by the death of a North Carolina firefighter. Firefighters, police officers, and emergency workers around the country have rallied to support this legislation.

On December 15, 2003, the legislation was signed by the President. More than 100 of my colleagues co-sponsored the bill, and nearly 40 associations, including the Fraternal Order of Police, the International Association of Fire Fighters, the National Association of State Fire Marshals, and the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians supported the bill.

The bottom line is that day in and day out we depend on our first responders to secure our hometowns and allow us to live our lives with peace of mind. Our families have always had their support, and now their families know they will always have ours.