EMTs / first responders — who it's for
Who the First Responder Estate Planning Program is for
This program is written for EMS and emergency response personnel who spend their shifts handling other people's emergencies and have never documented their own.
Roles this program is written for
Per-diem and multi-agency staff are common in EMS and worth calling out: each employer carries its own coverage and its own beneficiary forms, and none of them replaces a will.
- EMTs at every certification level
- Paramedics and critical care paramedics
- Flight paramedics, flight nurses and air medical crew
- 911 telecommunicators and dispatchers
- Ambulance, third-service and hospital-based EMS staff
- Volunteer EMS and rescue squad members
- Search and rescue, water rescue and emergency management personnel
- Per-diem staff who work for more than one agency
When it matters most
The situations that move this off the someday list.
You are early in your career and single
The power of attorney and the healthcare documents do the heavy lifting at this stage. They cover the case where you are injured rather than deceased — the one you transport every week.
You have children under 18
Guardianship nomination, a named financial agent and a named backup for both. This is the shortest version of a plan that actually protects a young family.
You work for two or more agencies
Benefits and beneficiary designations differ by employer. Review each one while you build the plan so nothing is left pointing at an ex-spouse or a parent you named at 22.
You are unmarried but living with a partner
Intestacy law gives an unmarried partner nothing, and hospitals will not treat them as next of kin. A will, a power of attorney and a HIPAA release are what change that.
Your parents or in-laws depend on you
If someone relies on your income or your decision-making, name a successor for both roles. Otherwise the fallback is a court process nobody has time for.
You are a volunteer squad member
Coverage through a volunteer agency is usually thinner than people assume, so a larger share of your family's protection comes from documents you create yourself.
When it isn't the right fit
A will and a power of attorney are not always enough.
If any of these describe you, say so on the free consult and we will point you to a trust-based plan instead of selling you the wrong document set.
See the trust-based plans- You own rental property or property in more than one state
- You own a business or a share of an ambulance or training company
- You support a family member receiving needs-based benefits, which calls for a special needs trust
- You have a taxable estate
- You want to keep your family out of probate entirely, which generally means a funded living trust
What to have ready.
Nothing has to be exact to begin. You can start with what you know and fill in the rest before you sign.
- Legal names and dates of birth for the people you plan to name
- Your personal representative and a backup
- Your financial agent and a backup
- Guardian and backup guardian for minor children
- A rough list of accounts, vehicles, property and insurance
- Beneficiary designations from each agency you work for, if you can access them
Written by an estate planning attorney.
Online convenience, attorney oversight, and estate planning priced so getting started doesn't cost thousands. You spend your life serving and protecting others — let us help you protect the people you love.