L.A.S.T. Program

In 1992, the United States Congress created the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation with the mission to honor and remember America’s fallen fire heroes and to provide resources to assist their survivors in rebuilding their lives. Since that time, the Foundation has created several programs in an effort to fulfill that mandate.

Through a collaborative effort with the Department of Justice, the Foundation developed the Local Assistance State Team (LAST) program to establish local and regional teams to assist surviving families and fire departments that experience a line-of-duty death. The Foundation believes that support for a department that experiences a line-of-duty death can best be provided by resources from within their own state or region.  Oklahoma is now benefiting from that program through the formation of Oklahoma LAST.
 
The main objectives of the LAST program are to:

• Bring expertise to the surviving family in filing the Department of Justice Public Safety Officer Benefit.
• Provide assistance and support to families and fire departments of fallen firefighters.
• Provide the families and fire departments of fallen firefighters the support mechanisms needed before, during and after the funeral.
• Act as a resource for the family and fire department.

The Foundation offers training and guidance to local teams so that they can provide assistance to the family and fire department after a line-of-duty death and to help with filing for federal, state and local benefits.  The type of assistance LAST provides varies based upon the needs of the family and fire department, but can range from phone consultation to actual deployment of team members who can assist with the coordination of the events that surround a line-of-duty death.

The most visible aspect of a line-of-duty death is the funeral service. Anyone who has had any involvement in the planning of a funeral for a fallen firefighter will attest that the decisions that are made, resources needed, and related stress to the individuals involved are similar to managing a large-scale incident.  Even a “simple” fire service funeral can be a logistical nightmare.  LAST can provide fire departments with funeral protocol, locating honor guards, assist with obtaining dress uniforms for members or writing eulogies, among other things.

The less visible ways LAST can assist in the event of a line-of-duty death are by providing resources for grief counseling for family and department members, fire service chaplains or CISD teams, as well as assistance in applying for state or federal benefits.

Oklahoma LAST is still in the organizational phase, but is working very closely with Kansas LAST until a more formal team is established in Oklahoma.  Active or retired members of the fire service, chaplains or professional counselors are eligible to become members of LAST.  The Foundation provides training for new members.

For more information on Oklahoma LAST, contact Bryan Beall at se247@cimtel.net, (918) 865-8384 or (918) 688-1860.

Information on the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation and the LAST program can be obtained by visiting www.FireHero.org.