IAEP Local 167 Steps Up for the MN EMS Memorial Foundation

Some of the most meaningful support for this project has come not from a formal campaign or a direct ask, but from EMS professionals who simply decided it was the right thing to do.

IAEP Local 167, representing EMS professionals at Allina Health, recently held a membership vote and committed to making an annual donation in support of the Minnesota State EMS Line of Duty Death Memorial. They then reached out to let the foundation know.

That's it. No pitch. No grant application. Just a group of working paramedics and EMTs who looked at this mission and said yes.

It's hard to overstate what that means.

These are professionals who work long shifts, carry heavy weight, and deal with things most people will never see. They're not short on demands on their time or their money. And yet they chose to put both behind this effort. That's not just generosity. That's belief.

EMS has always been part of the public safety equation. From the earliest days of the 911 system, we have responded alongside law enforcement and fire. We train together, operate together, and serve our communities together. But at the Minnesota State Capitol, EMS has no permanent place of recognition. Law enforcement and fire do. We don't.

That is the gap this memorial exists to close.

The men and women who have died in the line of duty deserve more than quiet remembrance within the profession. They deserve a visible, permanent place of honor where families can grieve, where coworkers can reflect, and where the public can see what this work costs. That place should be at the Capitol, alongside our public safety partners.

Not someday. Now.

Commitments like the one IAEP 167 made move that closer to reality. Every dollar contributed helps fund the design, the site work, and the construction of a memorial that will stand long after all of us are gone. But the financial support is only part of it. When the people doing this job choose to stand behind the mission, it sends a message that no press release can manufacture. It shows unity. It shows ownership. It shows that this isn't just an idea someone had. It's something the EMS community wants.

To the leadership and members of IAEP Local 167: thank you. Your support is not taken lightly. It will be remembered, and it will help carry this project forward.

To learn more about IAEP Local 167 and the work they do on behalf of EMS professionals at Allina Health, visit iaep167.org.

This is how progress happens. One commitment at a time, from people who believe in something bigger than themselves.

Honoring the Sacrifice. Supporting the Legacy.