Calling it a gap in health protections, legal advocates want Florida lawmakers to take steps to address the health risks impacting firefighters, especially volunteer firefighters.
In 2019, the Sunshine State ratified Senate Bill 426 to provide health and financial support to fire personnel diagnosed with cancer. The bill offers explicit medical and disability benefits and a one-time $25,000 compensation to help first responders cope with the adverse consequences of their noble service. Some said the bill fell short in recognizing the significant role of volunteer firefighters, as it excluded the group from its protective scope.
One of the individuals backing new legislation is Jonathan Sharp, CFO of the Environmental Litigation Group. He says the current law that aims to help firefighters diagnosed with cancer by providing them with medical and disability benefits, doesn’t extend the same protections to volunteer firefighters, leaving them without coverage and support as they fall ill.
Much of the gap that consists with volunteer firefighters in in the states fire service. They account for 29.6% of the state’s firefighting workforce. Nationally, they make up roughly 52% of the 1,054,500 firefighters, signifying that many of the first responders catering to emergency calls in the US are unpaid staff. T
“These volunteers face the same life-threatening situations as career firefighters. In some cases, they are also more likely to be exposed to hazardous chemicals, such as PFAS, which are usually found in their gear and firefighting foam,” said Sharp.
In 202, a study by Rutgers University found that volunteer firefighters had significantly higher levels of “forever chemicals” in their bloodstream than their career counterparts. According to Sharp, this is a clear indication that the toxic exposure risks for volunteers are just as severe, if not worse, as those for full-time personnel. Yet despite the shared dangers, they do not receive the same privilege that could streamline access to financial and medical support they need when diagnosed with cancer.
“Several states have already amended their laws to close this gap. Florida can do the same by extending its presumptive cancer coverage to all firefighters, regardless of whether they are full-time or volunteer employees. This step does not require a complex legislative revision, just the political will to acknowledge that service, not salary, defines a firefighter’s worth,’ said Sharp.
