State Senate passes bill to increase medical coverage for volunteer firefighters

Camillus, NY (WSYR-TV) – Volunteer and paid firefighters: they do the same job, but their medical coverage is vastly different. That’s why the New York State Senate has passed a bill to make it a little more equal.

“Volunteer firefighters do the exact same job that career firefighters are doing. They’re going to the same buildings that have the same content load the same stuff that’s burning and putting out the poisonous gasses and carcinogens as the career firefighters—and yet the career firefighters are covered,” said Gordon Kotars, Firemen’s Association of the State of New York (FASNY).

As a volunteer firefighter at the Camillus Fire Department, Gordon Kotars isn’t protected like his fellow paid firefighters–should he get cancer because of the job. So, the New York State Senate has passed a bill to cover the costs of medical treatment of cancers and other illnesses.

“Volunteer firefighters didn’t become volunteer firemen to get cancer. They became a volunteer firefighter to help their neighbors in their community and to fight fire,” said Kotars.

But this isn’t the first bill like this passed through the State Senate; last year similar legislation made it through, halting at the Assembly.

“We can’t tell them how much it’s going to cost, but what we can tell them is that the volunteer firefighters in the state of New York save the tax payers over $3 billion if they were to go career,” said Kotars.

This version of the bill still has to make it through the State Assembly before it can hit the Governor’s desk. It’s not known yet just when lawmakers will be taking up the issue.