Presidential Documents

87259 

Federal Register 

Vol. 89, No. 212 

Friday, November 1, 2024 

Title 3— 

The President 

Proclamation 10845 of October 25, 2024 

National First Responders Day, 2024 

By the President of the United States of America 

A Proclamation 

On National First Responders Day, we recognize and celebrate all the brave 

first responders across our country who risk their lives to keep the rest 

of us safe. 

Our first responders represent the best of who we are as a people. They 

are the police officers and sheriff’s deputies who answer our calls, ready 

to help, no matter the situation. They are the firefighters running toward 

the flames to protect our communities. They are emergency medical technicians, paramedics, 911 dispatchers, 988 crisis responders, and all the medical 

professionals providing emergency care, who sacrifice so much to be there 

for us when a crisis hits. Our first responders are everyday heroes, and 

we are so grateful for their service. In the wake of Hurricane Milton and 

Hurricane Helene, we witnessed the courage and bravery of our first responders firsthand and just how much they sacrifice to keep the rest of us 

safe, including the brave search and rescue teams who have saved thousands 

of lives in the aftermath of the storms. 

My Administration is committed to supporting our first responders and 

ensuring they have access to the resources they need to thrive. During 

the COVID–19 pandemic, I signed the American Rescue Plan to keep first 

responders on the job, which provided billions of dollars to help cities, 

States, and Tribal Nations retain and hire more law enforcement officers, 

firefighters, and emergency health providers and pay their bonuses and 

overtime. I also signed the Protecting America’s First Responders Act, which 

expanded death, disability, and education benefits for first responders killed 

or permanently disabled in the line of duty and their families. My Administration is also making sure that firefighters are getting the health care they 

need by launching the National Firefighter Registry for Cancer—our Nation’s 

largest effort to reduce the risk of cancer among firefighters—providing access 

to job-related disability benefits for firefighters diagnosed with certain kinds 

of cancer or lung disease, and protecting firefighters from toxic PFAS chemicals in their gear and equipment. 

My Administration is working to make our communities safer and more 

resilient while keeping our first responders safe. I signed the most significant 

gun safety law in nearly 30 years while also strengthening background 

checks for gun purchasers and cracking down on illegal gun sales and 

ghost guns. And my Investing in America agenda included funding to make 

our communities more resilient to natural disasters. 

This month, Vice President Harris and I visited North Carolina and Florida 

in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton. Lives were 

lost. Entire neighborhoods had been turned into debris. Portions of entire 

cities were underwater. But our first responders stepped up in this time 

of need, picking up the pieces and acting as a source of strength for everyone 

else. Today, may we honor the critical role first responders play in our 

lives—showing up in our darkest times to provide hope, light, and care. 

NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States 

of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution 

and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim October 28, 2024, 


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87260 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 212 / Friday, November 1, 2024 / Presidential Documents 

as National First Responders Day. I call upon all the people of the United 

States to observe this day with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities to honor our brave first responders and to pay tribute to those who 

have lost their lives in the line of duty. 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-fifth 

day of October, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-four, and 

of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred 

and forty-ninth. 

[FR Doc. 2024–25590 

Filed 10–31–24; 8:45 am] 

Billing code 3395–F4–P 


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