Comptroller and unions back expanding fallen-officer fund to cover firefighters, seek inclusion of EMS

Comptroller Scanlon and multiple fire-service organizations told the Public Safety and Security Committee they support Senate Bill 1239 to expand the state’s Fallen Officer Fund to include firefighters and, ideally, emergency medical-service workers.

Scanlon said administering the fund is among the most serious duties of his office and described the bill’s survivor-health provision: if a municipality does not continue a surviving spouse’s or children’s health coverage after a line-of-duty death, the comptroller’s office can provide coverage for up to five years. "In the case of Bristol, one of the officer's wives was pregnant… she was immediately terminated off her husband's health insurance," Scanlon said, explaining why the early health-insurance option matters.

Representatives of the Uniformed Professional Firefighters Association and the Joint Council of Connecticut Fire Service Associations supported the expansion, noting municipal survivor benefits are inconsistent and often inadequate. The fire-service witnesses also backed SB 1240 to rebalance the Codes and Standards Committee to increase fire-service representation when codes affecting life-safety and fire department access are written.

Committee members asked Scanlon whether towns already provide similar five-year coverage; Scanlon said coverage practices vary by town and that the comptroller’s proposal would provide a consistent option for municipalities that cannot or will not provide the benefit.

Lawmakers said they would seek additional information about municipal practices and potential drafting changes to add EMS coverage and the proposed renaming of the fund.