Los Angeles, CA. – The Coronavirus pandemic continues to wreak havoc on our medical communities and first responders over a year after the virus found its way to the U.S. In some areas, the state of medical care is even worse than it has been in the last year. Earlier this year, LA County instructed ambulance crews not to take patients with little chance of survival to hospitals. EMS providers and other first responders have taken patients to the hospital and have been forced to wait for hours before being able to bring the sick and injured inside. Grassroots political organization Firefighters & EMS Fund continues to monitor this and similar situations across the country.
“These first responders are witnessing absolute devastation and have been forced into making unthinkable life and death decisions during this pandemic. First responders are taking the brunt of this toll, and have been for the last year. We need to do a better job of supporting these frontline workers. This is a traumatizing time and so far the response by elected officials has been a mostly thankless one,” Executive Director Nile Porter said in a statement.
Firefighters & EMS Fund is committed to supporting firefighters and EMS personnel within the political process, an always important role but perhaps even more so during the COVID-19 pandemic. Firefighters & EMS Fund has focused this last year on promoting and encouraging local and state governments to provide better funding for first responders so that they can have the protective gear and other resources they need to do their jobs effectively. The organization has also been focused on mental health, especially over the past year.
“We fully expect data to show a large spike in mental health issues and PTSD after this last year,” Mr. Porter continued. “EMS personnel and other first responders have been through so much, witnessed so much. They have feared for their own lives and their families lives while still providing vital services for their communities. We owe them a debt of gratitude, but even more than that we owe them better pay, better department funding, and legislative protections so they can stay safe, healthy, and worry only about the task at hand.”
For more information about the work Firefighters & EMS Fund is doing across the country, visit www.fireandemsfund.com
Firefighters & EMS Fund is a national political organization organized under Section 527 of the IRS Tax Code. Contributions made to Firefighters & EMS Fund are not tax-deductible. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.
Contact Firefighters and EMS Fund
Nile Porter
Executive Director
(703) 844-2285
media@fireandemsfund.com
