1. Is prompt notification of the Funeral team really important?

Absolutely. Especially in the event of a Line of Duty death there are necessary notifications and paperwork to complete promptly to maximize your likelihood of obtaining federal and state benefits.

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Also, all Honor Guard members are volunteers, most working full time, that need to make arrangements to attend.

 

2. When activated will your team take over the funeral proceedings from my agency?

No. Our mission is to advise and assist your agency through a very tough time. We have already established protocols that we use which follow National Standards. However, if needed, we can supply an Honor Guard to perform the Honors that the family and your agency requests.

 

3. Does the EMS provider's death have to be Line of Duty for your team to respond?

No. We provide Line of Duty, Active Duty, and Retiree funeral assistance. We follow National Standards to establish which type of funeral services should be applied in a particular circumstance. Workers Compensation is also involved in the ruling of Line of Duty or not.

 

4. Is there any charge for your services?

We never charge for our services. Our members are volunteers and receive no compensation or reimbursement at this time. Many take vacation time to honor fallen EMS providers. We purchase equipment and uniforms through grants and especially donations. We appreciate any assistance people may offer us in order to carry on the mission

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5. Legacy Gifts

An important part of the estate planning process is deciding how you would like to distribute your assets, such as any savings, investments, real estate, or personal property, using your Last Will and Testament.

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One of your goals may be to leave assets to a charity or non-profit organization. This form of donation is known as an endowment, legacy gift, or planned giving.

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Setting up an endowment in your Last Will is a good way for you to leave a personal legacy and support a cause that has meaning to you. There are many options for planned giving, so it’s useful to know what assets you can leave to charity and what type of donation will suit your financial position.

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Charity in Your Last Will

There are many reasons to consider planned giving in your Last Will that can benefit both you and the people and charities that you leave gifts to.

 

Donating to a charity in your Will can:

Help sustain charities and touch people’s lives. Charities and non-profit organizations have limited budgets and often depend on private funding to continue doing their work. Leaving a legacy gift in your Last Will can help maintain a charitable organization and touch people’s lives for years to come.

 

Leave a personal legacy. Planned giving is an opportunity to contribute to a cause that’s meaningful to you. An endowment to a foundation that made a difference in your life will allow your memory to live on.

 

Offer financial benefits. Depending on the type of gift you make, you or your estate can enjoy certain tax advantages.

For example, to lower your tax burden during your lifetime, you can create a life insurance policy with a charity as the beneficiary, and claim the annual cost as a charitable donation. If you’d like to reduce your estate tax burden after your death, you can make a monetary donation in your Last Will.

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Presentation of Colors, Parades, Conferences, Graduations...:

 

The WI EMS Honor guard is available to represent EMS providers in many venues. Presentation of Colors (Flags) at conferences, Graduations, special Awards ceremonies, some parades in need of the color front, etc. We divide the State into Districts so events are assigned to local units, with support from the statewide guard as necessary.

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As we are volunteers, we ask several weeks to a month lead time to organize, and a host organization allowing us to change rooms, water, snacks, etc as necessary (depending on the nature of the event). Please contact us and we'll make arrangements from there. Thank you!

 

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