In December, President Bush also signed into law the Hometown Heroes Survivor Benefits Act, extending coverage of the federal Public Safety Officers Benefits program to fire, police, EMS personnel who die of heart attacks or strokes while on duty.

Heart attacks and strokes are a leading cause of firefighter deaths, usually accounting for about half of firefighter on-duty deaths each year. In 2002, 37 on-duty fire fighters died of heart attacks, according to the International Association of Fire Chiefs.

The PSOB program, administered by the Department of Justice, provides a one-time financial benefit — currently set at $267,494 — to families of police, fire and EMS personnel killed or permanently disabled in the line of duty.

In cases involving heart attacks or strokes, the burden of proof is currently placed on the family to demonstrate a direct relation between the heart attack or stroke and the actions performed in the line of duty. The new law shifts that burden to the Department of Justice by adding language presumptively qualifying heart attacks and strokes as line-of-duty deaths.

Click here for more information about PSOB benefits.