Musings: First responders deserve better
First responders at the scene of a fatal multivehicle crash on Sunrise Highway in Massapequa in August 2023. Credit: Paul Mazza
Many organizations today provide financial assistance to our first responders, police, military and firefighters, yet many of these people or their families have to wait to receive any financial benefits when the first responders are killed or severely disabled performing their duties.
First responders provide some of the most important services we need to live and survive, yet the compensation for some is extremely low, given the dangerous service they provide. This doesn’t make sense. Trying to recruit them is more challenging nowadays than in years past.
To encourage the recruiting of more first responders, their contracts should include more reasonable salaries and, in the case of a fatality, complete payment on mortgages and provide a death benefit. Just as important, if the person suffers a permanent injury, they should have covered living and education costs and medical coverage. It is the right thing to do.
— John Appelt, Garden City
WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO JOIN OUR DAILY CONVERSATION. Just go to newsday.com/submitaletter and follow the prompts. Or email your opinion to letters@newsday.com. Submissions should be no more than 200 words. Please provide your full name, hometown, phone number and any relevant expertise or affiliation. Include the headline and date of the article you are responding to. Letters become the property of Newsday and are edited for all media. Due to volume, readers are limited to one letter in print every 45 days. Published letters reflect the ratio received on each topic.
