Local 1365's negotiated group life benefit provides basic death benefit coverage for active members — in a range from the low tens of thousands up into the mid-hundred-thousands depending on rank, tier, and CBA vintage. Your Summary Plan Description has your actual number — and Justin is happy to pull it with you on a free 15-minute call.
That's real value. But three structural gaps exist in virtually every union group plan — including this one.
For most Local 1365 retirees, group life benefits step down substantially at 65 and end entirely at a specified age beyond that. The exact schedule is in your Summary Plan Description.
If you transfer, change contractors, or leave the trade for any reason, Local 1365 group coverage doesn't travel with you. You typically have a narrow conversion window with higher-than-market rates.
Most working families need 8–10× annual income in total death benefit. Local 1365's group plan provides 1–2× — it fills the floor but leaves the room empty.
Local 1365 — Orlando Professional Firefighters — was chartered in 1960 and today represents approximately 560 members of the Orlando Fire Department, including the ranks of Firefighter, Engineer, Lieutenant, and District Chief as well as Emergency Communications Specialists. The OFD itself dates to 1885, when 'Orlando Hook and Ladder Company No. 1' organized as one of the city's original volunteer companies serving a population of about 1,666. Today that same department protects more than 225,000 residents across 110 square miles from 17 fire stations.
Collective bargaining between Orlando and Local 1365 didn't begin until 1973, after a new Florida state law gave firefighters the right to negotiate with municipal government. That was the first time Orlando had ever bargained with any labor union — and the terms of Local 1365's modern CBA, including group life benefits, evolved from that original post-1973 framework.
Orlando's housing market is a specific pressure point for life insurance planning. Median home values now cluster around $385,000, and the metro has been among Florida's fastest-growing regions for a decade. Orlando firefighters often carry 30-year mortgages purchased at recent peak prices — which means a group death benefit of $35,000–$75,000 covers less than a single year of housing cost in many cases. Locking in a privately-owned whole-life policy in your 30s or early 40s is materially cheaper than doing the same math at 55 after a family medical event.
Free 15-minute call. He'll pull your group summary, calculate your real need, and show you what filling the gap costs at your age. No exam, no pressure.