ORLANDO, Fla. — Florida lawmakers will try once again this year to create a system to help a particular group with a higher risk of developing cancer: firefighters.
- Florida CFO trying to create cancer benefit for firefighters
- Would help mitigate cost of treatment, even with insurance
- A similar bill failed to pass last year
- RELATED: Florida Government Guide
The Centers for Disease Control found in a study that firefighters are at a 15 percent greater risk of developing cancer than the average person.
The reason is becoming easier to understand.
“When [firefighters] are exposed to various chemicals that are in a fire, it’s more dangerous today than ever,” said Chief Otto Drozd of Orange County Fire Rescue. “If you look at household materials, while they were made from natural materials many years ago, there are all sorts of chemical formulations, and when a fire burns, that is absorbed through the skin.”
Those potential cancerous elements then spread from a firefighter’s suit to the truck they’re riding in, to the fire house, and even in their family’s own home.
Drozd said Orange County Fire Rescue has spent several million dollars to mitigate the cancer risk by installing systems to reduce exposure to truck exhaust and ensure each crew member has access to multiple clean suits.
“We’re learning how to mitigate it a little bit better, but we’re also learning what resources we need to be effective,” Drozd said.
The reality of cancer risks in firefighting has often been overlooked.
Drozd said in the six years he’s been with Orange County Fire Rescue, there have been multiple diagnoses, including firefighters Carl Adriano, 36, and Stephen “Shakey” Vanravenswaay, 43, who both died from job-related cancer.
“They are a part of our family, and it’s not only losing firefighters, but how this is impacting families that depend on those folks for their livelihood,” Chief Drozd said.
Firefighters diagnosed with cancer, and their families, often face endless treatments and mounting bills.
In Florida, firefighters often have to rely on their medical insurance to cover costs, as there is no cancer benefit provision available.
That is something Florida Chief Financial Officer and Fire Marshal Jimmy Patronis wants to change.
“Seeing a grown man whose got three kids struggle… doing a job he has so much passion for, but also has a crippling disease that is threatening their ability to support their family," Patronis said. "It’s something that’s got to be done and the solution out there is to create a benefit provision for them, and it’s doable and we can pass it.”
Patronis told Spectrum News he is working with several state lawmakers to draft a measure that would create such a system, with hopes lawmakers will pass the bill during their session in March.
“Currently, our firefighters, most of them, have full body insurance from the government they work for, which is great. It can treat their cancer ailments, but what happens is two things: deductibles are enormous and also the down time from work is enormous,” Patronis said. “We need a cancer benefit that’s almost like a cafeteria plan, that can be opted into, that will help them pay their bills while undergoing treatment, and also cover expenses like the deductible.”
A similar measure filed in 2018 by State Sen. Anitere Flores, R-Miami, failed to pass, although a spokeswoman for Flores told Spectrum News that a revised draft of the bill is expected to be filed before the next session.
Lawmakers did pass a measure in 2018 that provided funding for PTSD treatment for first responders. It also now requires firefighters to participate in cancer training, learning the causes of cancer on the job, as well as prevention techniques.