When EMT Yadira Arroyo was killed March 16 by a crazed man who stole her ambulance and ran her down, she didn’t qualify for line-of-duty death benefit.
Arroyo, 44, a veteran of 14 years, left behind the five boys she was supporting on her Emergency Medical Service salary: $48,000 base pay, $66,000 with overtime.
After her tragic death, Mayor de Blasio used his discretion to confer a death benefit on Arroyo’s family, equal to one year’s pay for her five boys. The generous gesture reinvigorated a longstanding debate between City Hall and the Fire Department’s two EMS unions about line-of-duty death benefits, which are automatically granted to cops and firefighters.