Public Safety Officer Benefits

The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) created the Incident Commander to Incident Command Network to aid incident commanders who had experienced the line-of-duty death of a firefighter under their command. This is a peer network connecting incident commanders who recently experienced a line-of-duty death with a trained peer who previously lost a firefighter under their command.The incident commander, like the fire chief, is often unprepared for the emotional, personal, and professional impacts of a line-of-duty death.

A line-of-duty death forever changes the fire department or agency and the community. After the fatality, a chief may feel isolated, and have nowhere to turn for support. The Foundation has established a network of senior fire officers who have all experienced the death of a firefighter in the line of duty and understand what a department goes through. Immediately after learning about a line-of-duty death, the Foundation gathers information about the incident and the fire department.

The Fire Hero Family Network began in 1997, to provide newly bereaved family members with the benefit of connecting with a peer who understands the loss and has gone through the process of dealing with the death of a first responder. More than 400 trained members are available to reach out to newly bereaved families and provide the emotional support only those who have “been there” can provide.

To educate law enforcement officers and C.O.P.S. Chapter representatives on the benefits afforded to survivors by PSOB.

Extended Family Retreat provides educational sessions on coping with grief and very strong peer-support & connection from other survivors.

Co-Workers for Couples Retreat provides educational sessions on coping with grief and very strong peer-support & connection from other survivors.

Spouses for Couples Retreat provides educational sessions on coping with grief and very strong peer-support & connection from other survivors.

In 1995, C.O.P.S. began offering the highly-acclaimed trainings called “Traumas of Law Enforcement” to prepare law enforcement agencies to provide counseling and peer support following line-of-duty deaths and other law enforcement tragedies such as disability and suicide. An extensive curriculum on death notification, handling a line-of-duty death, law enforcement suicide, the emotionally affected officer, and the disabled officer are all taught at these trainings. In 2019, we began making peer support and counseling referrals available to the officers attending the training.

In 1995, C.O.P.S. began offering the highly-acclaimed trainings called “Traumas of Law Enforcement” to prepare law enforcement agencies to provide counseling and peer support following line-of-duty deaths and other law enforcement tragedies such as disability and suicide. An extensive curriculum on death notification, handling a line-of-duty death, law enforcement suicide, the emotionally affected officer, and the disabled officer are all taught at these trainings. In 2019, we began making peer support and counseling referrals available to the officers attending the training.

In 1995, C.O.P.S. began offering the highly-acclaimed trainings called “Traumas of Law Enforcement” to prepare law enforcement agencies to provide counseling and peer support following line-of-duty deaths and other law enforcement tragedies such as disability and suicide. An extensive curriculum on death notification, handling a line-of-duty death, law enforcement suicide, the emotionally affected officer, and the disabled officer are all taught at these trainings. In 2019, we began making peer support and counseling referrals available to the officers attending the training.