My name is Bill White. I am a paramedic for Warminster Township. I have worked for Warminster as a medic for over 10 years. Up until last year, when I was injured, I didn't even know that my company had this outstanding protection that your company has provided me.  

On July 17, 2006, the day before my 35th birthday, I had started my shift uneventfully. I got in at 7am, had my truck checked out and was halfway through my first cup of coffee when a call came in...a very uneventful run until we got to the hospital. While taking the stretcher out of the back of the ambulance, I felt and heard a pop in my lower back. My partner says that I turned white as a ghost. A patient that probably weighs 95 lbs soaking wet was able to put a halt to my EMS career.  After quickly getting the patient into the ER and giving report, I had my driver take us back to our local and straight to the ER of the hospital in our local.  Because of the relationship our EMS has with the ER nurses and doctors, the attending on duty was able to get an MRI done as an ER patient. The MRI showed a 2-level herniation.  I have been out of work since and had surgery December 6, 2006 to remove the discs and repair the damage.

Approximately 2 weeks after the initial injury I received a phone call from my company's bookkeeper informing me that the squad had supplemental insurance for us.  I was totally unaware of this, probably because the squad has always paid for it.

Without the supplemental coverage that I have through Provident then things would be, to say the least, extremely tight.  Provident has allowed me and my family to continue the fiscal lifestyle that we had when I was working.

I cannot even begin to thank Provident and specifically Melissa Colamarino and Ray Burkhart.  They both have been extremely courteous and helpful. 

Unfortunately at this point I am still recuperating from the injury and surgery. Provident has been a lifesaver and I am grateful that my squad was thoughtful enough to contract with Provident and also grateful to Provident for being there when I needed them most.

Sincerely,
William White, FF/EMT-P

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I very much appreciate all the assistance that you, Melissa, Leslie and rest of the Provident family have provided me and my family.  I continue to make other chiefs aware of the benefits of a relationship with your company.  I think these are policies that no department - ESPECIALLY in New York, where the massively flawed Workers Compensation system is so unfriendly to the injured worker - can afford to be without.

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I just have to write and tell everyone how wonderful the Provident Company is. Last year, I at 40 years old had a heart attack requiring 4 stints and a 7 bypass graph. It was about 2 weeks after my surgery and I was just starting to be able to function as a normal person. When I started coming out of my medical induced coma, I started feeling anxious because I knew that my financial status was in a bad way. You see, I had my heart attack while I was on duty and exercising on the elliptical machine at the station. Thank God that I was very close to the Indiana Heart Hospital.

When I had my surgery, my dear wife was doing what she needed to do at the time and spending money that we didn't have. I can't blame her because she was not worried about anything but me at the time. Well, when my mind became clear and I started to worry about my bills that we couldn't pay, someone told me to give Provident a call. My fire chief didn't think that having a heart attack would qualify for benefits. Well, another friend told me to call anyway and thank God that I did. When I called, I was talking to the most polite people and I felt they truly cared for me and my situation. They told me that I did qualify and sent me the money that saved me and my family. It seemed as though the people in this company were my family or best friend. They wanted to do everything they could for me and were looking for every benefit to give me that was allowed. They saved me during the extremely horrible time.

Wait, my story is not done yet. 11 months later I was having more pain in my chest and back. The cardiac surgeon stated that he had pinched a nerve during my traumatic surgery.  I called Provident not knowing if I qualified again. I was lucky again to get a wonderful person like Melissa Colamarino. Melissa was very kind and helpful. She told me that I should qualify and helped me get all the information from the doctors that I needed to submit. Just about the time that my bills started catching up with us, we received a check from Provident.

They have saved us again!

I can not say in words, how much I appreciate all the people at the Provident Company. They have done everything they could and saved us from spots that we didn't think we were going to be able to get out of.

Thank you Provident, for all that you have done for us. Everyone in your company are wonderful people. I hope that one day I might be able to thank everyone in person.

Very sincerely,

John P. Heald, EMT-P, PI / Firefighter

Fishers Fire Department, Indiana

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I would like to thank both you and your company for the professional and expedient way in which you have handled everything for me. This is the first time in my twenty-five year career as a fireman in which I needed the services of the fire fighter's insurance company. I feel that all of our fire fighters and families are in good hands.

Thomas C. Hayden, Jr., Chief 
Merion Fire Company of Ardmore, Pennsylvania

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My name is Al Sheppard. I served as a Lieutenant with Beaufort North Carolina Fire Department. On September 18th of 2002 I was seriously injured when a pipe exploded and struck me in the head and neck. This injury caused a herniated disk in my neck as well as other permanent injuries. I have been advised that surgery is my only option.

I would like to take this time to commend your employees. My initial contact with Provident was Mr. Mark Schmitt. He proved to be courteous and professional.  I wanted you to know how much I appreciate all your employees have done for me during my recent health crisis. It would not have been possible for anyone to be more kind and considerate.

I can readily understand how Provident Insurance has earned the respect and admiration of everyone in the firefighting service. You certainly deserve your excellent reputation.

If there is ever an occasion I can reciprocate, please let me know. It would be a distinct pleasure to let other firefighters know how helpful and professional Provident is.

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Dear Mark,

I want to thank you for all your help in handling Bill Schulli's claim. I know this was a very unusual case, one I hope we never have again. You were very kind in the way that you handled this claim. Provident Insurance has always been there when our Fire Department needed your help.

On behalf of the Millvale Vol. Fire Department Relief Association and the family of William Schulli, I want to thank you and David Gibson for all your help.

Leonard K. Jansen, President
Millvale Fire Dept Relief Association, Pennsylvania

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Friday, October 26, 2001, is a day I will never forget. I just finished working the 11:00am to 11:00pm shift at Mercy Hospital of Pittsburgh, where I am employed as the Lead Communications Specialist for Mercy Transfer and Communications Center, and also work part-time as a Paramedic in the Department of Emergency Medicine (ER).

I was very tired, and remember looking forward to Saturday, October, 27, 2001. This is the day of my fire department's, Connellsville Township Volunteer Fire Department, annual banquet. My mom, Adele, had showed up a bit late. We car-pooled to work for the one-hour drive, to Pittsburgh, fifty miles northwest of Connellsville, Fayette County, where we live. She works as a Health Unit Clerk at UPMC Shadyside Hospital.

As we were traveling home, eastbound towards the PA Turnpike, on the Parkway East, we came upon a two-vehicle accident. Apparently a small pick-up truck had struck an unoccupied car parked on the shoulder of the road. The truck had over turned, entrapping the two passengers. A few people had stopped to offer assistance. I had my mom pull ahead of the accident. I got out and headed to the scene. Considering I am an experienced Firefight/Rescue Technician and a Paramedic, I felt obligated to stop and provide assistance.

Upon approaching the overturned truck, I found the driver entrapped. I knelt down onto the pavement and initiated c-spine and airway control. Suddenly, someone yelled, "CAR". It was too late. It has been estimated that the twenty year old drunk driver, driving a mid-sized sedan, was traveling 70MPH upon impact. My beaten body was thrown 118 feet from the site of impact, near where my mother was parked. The hard blow to my body caused both shoulders to dislocate and the left shoulder to fracture, allowing my leather jacket to wrap around my head, saving my skull from serious injury. I received only a minor laceration to my head and mild concussion. I also suffered from a left side tension pneumothorax (collapsed lung), "open-book" pelvic fracture (fractured three times-bilateral super-pubic, coccyx), large laceration to right thigh approx. 13" long with avulsion and loss of a portion of my quad muscle, and open tibia/fibula fracture. I also suffered multiple other abrasions, contusions, lacerations, swelling, and ecchymosis too numerous to name. I was treated at the scene and rushed to Mercy Hospital of Pittsburgh (where I work).

I required three surgeries in the first four days to repair my pelvis and right leg. All totaled, I have received five surgeries and spent 14 days at Mercy Hospital, 76 days at Shadyside Nursing & Rehab Center, and 8 days at Healthsouth Monroeville as in inpatient. I continually attend outpatient rehabilitation at Healthsouth Connellsville Outpatient Center. Today I am able to walk without the assistance of a walker or cane. I have returned to providing for myself. I am back to work full-time and have returned to light-duty to my fire department.

The young gentleman that hit me fled the scene. He was apprehended twenty minutes later by Monroeville Police and arrested for the incident. He is currently awaiting court proceedings on the numerous charges.

I had just accepted a full-time position at Mercy Hospital as the Lead Communications specialist on October 17, 2001. My insurance benefits did not begin until November 1, 2001. I was ineligible for disability benefits through Mercy Hospital. I was denied disability benefits from Social Security and Medicaid. I was only able to obtain PA Medical Assistance for the time I was admitted to Shadyside Nursing and Rehab Center. I had a brand new doublewide modular home and all the monthly bills associated with that, and no income.

A couple of months passed while I was in the hospital. My parents were trying their best to help me deal with the monthly bills, but things were growing increasingly tough. The Captain of my volunteer fire department, Rob Leiberger Jr., decided to inquire into the fire departments insurance, Provident Insurance, as to whether or not I was covered, even though I was not in Connellsville Township at the time of the accident. He was asked to fill out a few forms. He brought me some paperwork to fill out. In no time at all, I was receiving compensation payments from Provident Insurance, to the maximum of their allotment, for my wage loss due to this tragic accident. Upon my discharge to home, I also received compensation for the days I spent in the hospital. They paid for my co-payments for doctor's office trips and medications. The payments were not 100% of my total wage loss, but the benefits provided by Provident Insurance were enough to provide me with the peace of mind that I would not lose my house and that my bills would be paid. If not for Provident, I don't know what I would have done. The realization, of what I almost lost, took a while to set in, but if not for Provident; I stood to lose everything.

Mark Schmitt, of Provident Insurance, was absolutely caring and courteous of my needs. He made sure I knew what was going on with my benefits, asked me if he could do anything else for me, and was generally concerned with my ongoing recovery and rehabilitation.

I commend Mark Schmitt and everybody at Provident Insurance for their care and assistance in this tragic chapter of my life. I would recommend Provident to all emergency services, because Provident Insurance acts promptly to fulfill their obligations as described in the policy.

Sincerely attested,

Matthew D. McKnight
Connellsville Twp VFD, Pennsylvania

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On Thursday April 27, 2000 my life changed forever. I was working as a Paramedic Supervisor for a local Ambulance Service. My partner and I were called to the scene of an elderly male down. Once on the scene it was determined that the man had a severe MI. We worked very fast and diligently, we were the man's only chance. Once we had him out of the house on the stretcher, it was time to lift the stretcher to load it into the ambulance. During the process of lifting the stretcher, my back decided it was time to stop working. I severely herniated L4-L5, along with sustaining some bone damage to the fascia of L4.

After a lot of therapy and surgery, I was informed in early 2001 that I would never return to my job due to also sustaining nerve damage. It was just about this time when I received a phone call from my employer notifying me that they had found out that they were carrying a supplemental policy to the Workman Compensation that I had been receiving. The policy was a disability policy written by Provident Insurance Company. I was informed that I would be contacted by Provident very soon. The following day I was contacted by a member of the office staff, they were extremely cordial and helpful to me.

I was informed that my employer had indeed insured me, and that I was due to receive a check for a large amount. I was also informed that I had been assigned to a Nurse Case Manager. Within a weeks' time I had been contacted by Case Manager, his name was Mark Schmitt. Mark was very friendly, and helpful, and genuinely concerned about my injury. You see Mark was also a Paramedic along with being a Nurse so he fully understood my job unlike many other people who were involved in my care.

From this point forward everything changed. I always had enough money to support my family and pay my bills thanks to Mark and Provident. When it came to care for me, I knew that I always could call Mark and discuss different treatments that been proposed to me. Mark was and is never too busy to take time out to speak to me, and help me with any problems that arise concerning my care. In March of 2002 I was talking with Mark, and asked me if I felt that I could make a part time return to work. He had informed me that he had been speaking with a former employer of mine, and that this particular employer was very interested in allowing me to return to work for a trial basis in a sedentary position. He also informed me that this employer was willing to allow me to do whatever I needed to be comfortable in my job, since I suffered from chronic pain, and at that time was unable to sit or stand for any length of time.

I was taken by surprise, Mark knew of my desire to return to work, and he was trying to help me fulfill that dream. I spoke with the prospective employer and it was agreed that I would attempt the return only if my treating Doctor would allow it. After getting through the red tape with Workers Compensation I returned to work at 20 hours a week.

It has now been almost 4 full months since I returned to work. My position is Continuing Education Coordinator for a department of a local college. I enjoy being back to work. I enjoy my job, and my whole attitude towards life has changed.

All these changes in my life were initiated with the help of Mark and Provident Insurance. I would not be where I am today if Mark Schmitt had not been a part of my care.

Mark continues to keep in contact with me on weekly basis. Together we are now planning a retraining agenda so that I may return to school and receive a degree.

Provident is willing to pay for my retraining. Again this is something that I could not even think of without Provident and Mark Schmitt.

Thank you Mark Schmitt and Provident for being there to rescue me in my time of need, just like I had been there to rescue many others during their time of need throughout my EMS Career. 

Steven P. Smith
Jefferson Hills Area Ambulance, Pennsylvania

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I would like to thank everyone at Provident for all your help and support over the past year and a half. The shock of having a heart attack at my age was more than I could have imagined. Being a firefighter I have thought I might be injured while fighting a fire, but the last thing I would have thought was having a heart attack.

I especially want to thank Mark Schmitt for all his support when I wasn't sure what to do; he was there to walk me through it. Mark was always there to answer my questions and always with a kind and understanding attitude. He just said "leave it to me and I’ll take care of it. You just concentrate on getting better."

Provident helped make a difficult situation more bearable. Your help took a lot of stress off my shoulders, which was a large help to my recovery. I would recommend your company to other fire companies. I think they would be in very good hands having you as their insurance carrier. It would be my pleasure to speak on your behalf if you ever need it. I think every fire company in the country should know what a tremendous service you offer. It has been a year and a half since my heart attack and I still haven't received a dime from workers comp but I never missed a days pay thanks to Provident.

Thanks again,

Scott Fleischer
Plumstead Twp FRA, Pennsylvania

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Hello, my name is Jim Maraney. I am with the Carmichaels Volunteer Fire Department. This department has great members and has the best equipment and gear. They always make sure we have all we need to protect life and property. It's nice to have state of the art equipment. You can go into a fire well protected and trained, never knowing how much they do care. The protection that you don’t see or wear, and hope you never need is PROVIDENT'S ACCIDENT INSURANCE.

On January 31, 2000, an alarm came in, "structure fire with entrapment." I responded to the fire hall. I ran toward the garage doors, which were open. I jumped over a curb lining the garage bays. I hit ice, when I landed; I inverted my left foot breaking the talus bone. The ligaments, tendons, and nerves were damaged. After having multiple surgeries I am unable to rotate my foot outward. That same nerve keeps your foot from rolling under when walking. So, I have a beautiful and fashionable brace to wear. I'm unable to return to my job at the Dept. of Corrections S.C.I. Greene. I was a Food Service Instructor, a paramedic for the C.E.R.T. (swat) team. They refused to take me back with these injuries.

At this time I'm 40, married to a beautiful wife. I have two young children, a new home, two newer trucks, and a 6-year-old yellow lab named Christy. Like most people I've got bills. I do receive workers compensation at 66% of base salary. This does not include all my overtime and extra shifts and raises. I am thankful my fire department had Provident. They have made up the difference between worker’s compensation and my gross earnings to insure I receive 100% of my salary. They have also picked up my families medical insurance!! (My work dropped on me.) Anything I need they are there for me or my family.

When I talk to Mark Schmitt it's always, "What can I do for you?", "What do you need?". My doctors say I have a disability now. I had a whole body impairment rating done, and then I received a check for that impairment. I could not have maintained my family’s quality of life without Provident.

If anyone goes into a structure fire or answers any call, or attends any department function without Provident, you are going in half dressed. I plead with all fire departments to protect your members and families, the way Carmichaels Vol. Fire Department has protected me and my family with Provident. I will talk to any person or group about the importance of this in my life now.

Thank you again!

Jim Maraney
Carmichaels Boro FRA, Pennsylvania

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