Overview
- Tunnel to Towers announced Friday that it paid off mortgages for 55 families in 18 states through its Fallen First Responder Home Program.
- The foundation paid the mortgage for Custer County paramedic Alfredo Fernandez, who died in a car crash on Oct. 19, 2024, leaving his wife and young daughter in the home.
- Tunnel to Towers also cleared the mortgage for Pittsburgh-area paramedic Matthew Smelser, who was struck and killed while helping at a roadside crash on Jan. 5, 2020, leaving a wife and two children.
- Chairman and CEO Frank Siller said the payments honor first responders’ service and provide lasting housing stability so families do not face future mortgage payments.
- Born after the Sept. 11 attacks, the Fallen First Responder Home Program aims to remove mortgage debt for families with young children so survivors can stay in their homes and direct income to daily needs and long-term care.