The Lights On Fund
Paramedic and EMS | A Uniform Families Foundation Fund
The Lights On Fund
Paramedics and EMTs are the lowest paid people on any emergency scene. They keep everyone else alive, then go home to a paycheck that does not cover a surprise. The Lights On Fund steps in when an EMS family hits a hardship, so the lights stay on at home for the people who keep the lights on for everyone else.
They keep everyone alive. We keep their lights on.
The Problem
The Lowest Paid Person on the Scene
The Pay
Paramedics and EMTs often earn a fraction of what the firefighters and officers standing next to them make, for the same call, the same risk, and the same trauma.
The Hours
Twelve and twenty four hour shifts, mandatory overtime, and second jobs just to make rent. There is no cushion when the car breaks down.
The Turnover
Many leave the field within a few years because they cannot afford to stay. The ones who stay do it on love and very little else.
The Silence
EMS families rarely ask for help. They are the helpers. This fund exists so they do not have to ask twice.
What the Fund Does
One Bill, One Family, One Month at a Time
Utility Bills
Electric, gas, and water bills paid directly to the provider so a family is never in the dark.
Car Repairs
A paramedic without a car cannot get to the ambulance. The fund covers the repair that would otherwise wait.
Rent and Mortgage Gaps
A one time payment to close a gap after a hardship, before it becomes a notice.
Hardship GrantsMedical Bills
For the medics who take care of everyone else and put off their own care.
Groceries
Grocery cards for families between paychecks during a hard stretch.
Fast Turnaround
Requests reviewed quickly and paid directly to the vendor, with no story published and no family put on display.
Give
Keep a Light On
Every gift goes to bills for EMS families. Pick an amount and we will tell you what it covered.
For EMS Families
How to Ask
Reach Out
A paramedic, EMT, spouse, or supervisor contacts us through the Direct Line and tells us the bill.
We Verify Quickly
We confirm EMS employment and the hardship. No long application. No essay.
We Pay the Bill
Paid directly to the provider, usually within days. The family gets a confirmation, not a photo op.
Why We Built This
Because the Medic Deserves a Cushion Too
Uniform Families Foundation was founded by the wife of an EMS Captain who has watched paramedics work miracles for wages that would not cover the ambulance they ride in. The Lights On Fund is our answer: a simple promise that when an EMS family hits a wall, someone pays the bill.
- Serves paramedics, EMTs, and their families, public and private EMS
- Bills paid directly to the provider
- Fast, private, and dignified
- Every gift goes to EMS families
Assistance is subject to available funds and Uniform Families Foundation eligibility review. Uniform Families Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.
Uniform Families Foundation
Serving the families behind the uniform: Fire, Paramedic and EMS, Law Enforcement, Medical and Frontline, Military, and Uniform Kids.
Uniform Families Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation. EIN: 41-5063345.