Cancer coverage for volunteer firefighters passes first hurdle

Legislation that would provide presumptive cancer coverage to New York state’s 100,000-plus volunteer firefighters has again passed the state Senate.

This is the third year in a row the Senate has passed this bill, but the Assembly has failed to take action on it each time. Prime sponsor Sen. Joseph A. Griffo, R-47, Rome, and representatives of the volunteer fire service are urging enactment of this legislation.

“Cancer in the fire service is a life-altering challenge that volunteer and career firefighters face on a daily basis,” said former Whitesboro Fire Chief Brian McQueen, a cancer survivor. “Progression of fires due to the synthetic materials in homes, as well as the fire retardant materials that burn off the carcinogens that are absorbed in our bodies, can cause cancer in firefighters. Studies have shown that firefighters are twice more likely to get cancer than the general public.”

McQueen is one of the founders of the Believe 271 Foundation, established in 2014 to provide financial and emotional support to volunteer firefighters diagnosed with life-threatening illnesses in Oneida and Herkimer counties

“As an occupational cancer survivor from my volunteer firefighting work, my family and I know quite well that I didn’t volunteer to get cancer,” he said.

The bill would expand cancer coverage to the Volunteer Firefighters’ Benefit Law, which is the volunteers’ workers compensation. Under the current legislation, only paid firefighter services are covered.

The legislation provides that after a volunteer firefighter has entered the fire service upon successfully passing a physical examination that did not reveal any evidence of cancer, it will be presumed that any of the covered cancerous conditions that develop later are the result of that firefighter-related duties.

“It is heartbreaking to see our volunteer firefighters and their families experience so much suffering while coping with cancer, after all they sacrificed to protect our homes and lives from devastating fires,” said Griffo.

“I am proud to have pushed for this legislation in the Senate on behalf of all our volunteer firefighters, and I hope that the Assembly and governor will finally join us in providing these volunteers with the support and protections they deserve,” the Rome Republican added.

Thirty-five other states in the nation have passed presumptive cancer legislation, according to Ken Pienkowski, president of the Firemen’s Association of the State of New York.