You run toward what everyone else runs from. This is the plain-English version of the math that decides whether your family keeps the house, the car, and the plan you built for them.
Most first responders land somewhere between 10 and 15 times their annual income, plus enough to clear the mortgage and cover the kids' schooling. For a 35-year-old firefighter earning $75,000 with a $250,000 mortgage and two kids, that's usually a $1 million to $1.25 million term policy — often for less per month than a phone bill.
That's a starting point, not a prescription. The number below is the one that actually matters: yours.
DIME stands for Debt, Income, Mortgage, Education. Add the four numbers, subtract what you already have saved and insured, and you have your coverage gap.
Add up everything that doesn't disappear when you do: credit cards, the truck loan, medical bills, a co-signed student loan, anything on a personal line of credit. Include final expenses — a funeral runs $9,000 to $15,000 in most of the country.
Take your base pay and multiply it by the number of years your family would need it. Ten to fifteen years is a common starting point. Count overtime and detail pay honestly — if your household budget depends on it, your coverage should replace it.
The full remaining balance, not the monthly payment. The goal is that your family keeps the house without a payment hanging over them during the worst year of their lives.
Roughly $25,000 per child for in-state public tuition, more for private. Public safety families often qualify for state tuition waivers for survivors — check yours before you buy, because it can lower this number.
Then subtract what you already have: current savings, existing personal policies, and any department or union coverage that would actually pay out. What's left is the gap you need to fill.
The DIME math is the same for everyone. These five things are not.
Medic, age 38. $82,000 base plus regular overtime. Spouse works part-time. Two kids, ages 6 and 9. $265,000 left on the mortgage, $18,000 on a truck loan.
He'd likely buy a $1.2 million 20-year term policy — long enough to carry the mortgage and get both kids through school. Illustrative only; your quote depends on health, carrier, and duties.
Usually far less than people expect. Most carriers rate police, fire, EMS, and paramedics as standard occupations. A few carriers load the rate or exclude certain duties, so the carrier you apply with matters more than the badge you wear.
It's a good start, but it's usually one to two times your salary and it ends the day you leave the job. A personally owned policy follows you through transfers, retirement, and a career change.
Term covers the years your family depends on your income — the mortgage, the kids at home, the pension you haven't finished earning. Permanent coverage costs more but lasts for life and builds cash value. Most responders start with term and add permanent later.
Some policies carry hazardous-duty or aviation exclusions. Read the policy before you sign, and ask specifically how off-duty work, wildland assignments, and tactical roles are treated.
Rates are based on your age and health today. Every year you wait costs more, and a health event in between can limit your options entirely.
PJ Tinsley is a former paramedic. The call is free, there's no pitch, and you'll leave with a straight answer either way.
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