After years of lobbying, volunteer firefighters undergoing cancer treatment will be able to qualify for state health benefits in early 2019 through a bill recently signed by New York state Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Starting on Jan. 1, 2019, volunteer firefighters will be able to receive health benefits to help with the costs of cancer treatment. For the last four to five years, the Firemen’s Association of the State of New York has been lobbying for volunteers to receive the same cancer treatment benefits as paid firefighters.

“We felt that it was time to have legislation passed,” said Tom Perkins, chief of the North West Fire District, who has worked with the department for the last 50 years. The North West Fire District covers the suburban village of Baldwinsville.

Jason Green, fire chief of the DeWitt Fire District, said he thinks the bill is a good idea. He said firefighters are two times more likely to develop a form of cancer because of the chemicals they’re exposed to while fighting fires.

The bill would cover the costs of some aspects of treatment for: cancer of the lymph nodes, blood cancer, digestive system cancer, bladder cancer, lung cancer, prostate cancer, neurological cancer, breast cancer, reproductive cancers and skin cancer.

John D’Alessandro, secretary of FASNY, said the legislation will not set up a framework to totally cover the costs of medical bills associated with cancer treatment, but it will cover things such as travel expenses for firefighters receiving treatment.

Firefighters mostly respond to homes that are made out of wood, plastic and other carcinogenic materials, Perkins said. This is almost like firefighters walking into petroleum, he said.

When he first joined, though, the situation was different, Perkins said.

In the next few months, D’Alessandro said individual fire districts can set up a health insurance policy through a private insurance company as part of the program created by the bill. The bill states that a recipient must have served with a fire department for five years before they can claim these benefits. A recipient must also receive a physical exam.

There will a lump sum of money for cancer services, said Mike Caron, director of FASNY and a firefighter for the last 33 years.

Between $6,250 and $25,000 will be made available for state volunteer firefighters depending on the severity of the cancer, and $50,000 will be made available for death benefits, according to the bill.

The bill only states that interior volunteer firefighters can receive coverage, not exterior volunteers. Interior volunteers are firefighters who go inside a home to fight a fire, while exterior firefighters might be responders who stand outside a house during a fire.

“You got heavy smoke, debris and carcinogens coming from the building,” said JoAnne VanSlyke, a firefighter who has worked for the North Syracuse Fire Department over the last 17 years.

Caron said volunteer firefighters are just like paid firefighters when it comes to their service.

“Volunteers give of themselves 24/7, they are constantly on call,” Caron said. “You never know when the next alarm is going to take place.”

Published on November 2, 2017 at 10:04 am

Contact Bianca: bmoorman@syr.edu