New FF Presumption Bill Builds on CPF Legacy of Leadership
Firefighters take the job knowing that the next major fire call could put their lives at risk. But there is another, silent, threat to which first responders are exposed every day: the slow-motion risk of job-related cancer.
For three decades, California Professional Firefighters has led the fight to recognize the increased job-related risks faced by first responders, beginning with the nation's first cancer presumption law, signed in 1982 by Jerry Brown.
This year, that legacy continues with the introduction of AB 2253, the William Dallas Jones Memorial Cancer Presumption Act of 2010.
"As firefighters, we know that even a single incident, or a seemingly minor call, can produce exposures that could, ultimately, claim our lives," said CPF President Lou Paulson. "This legislation will help protect the family of every firefighter whose life may be cut short by these silent killers."
AB 2253, authored by Assemblyman Joe Coto (D-San Jose), protects firefighters' cancer presumption for up to 15 years after his or her retirement. The current statute of limitations only extends to five years after retirement. Firefighter presumption laws require that employers provide appropriate disability and workers' compensation benefits to first responders, who become ill or die as a result of specified job-contracted illnesses or injuries. Employers can only deny coverage if they can conclusively prove that the illness or injury is not job related.
"From the beginning, presumption laws have protected firefighters and families victimized by job-related illness," said Paulson. "Instead of the firefighter having to prove that the illness is job related, management has to prove that it isn't."
Every year, the California Firefighters Memorial adds the names of anywhere from 10 to 30 firefighters who have lost their lives to cancer contracted on the job. Usually, it is the result of consistent exposure to carcinogenic chemicals over the course of a career. In some cases, a single incident can produce the exposure that triggers job-related illness.
Building solid protection for firefighters has been a central focus of California Professional Firefighters. CPF sponsored the nation's first firefighter cancer presumption law, signed in 1982 by then-Gov. Jerry Brown. Over the years, CPF has won additional presumptions for heart, TB, meningitis, biochemical exposure and, most recently, MRSA.
The new proposal, which is working its way through the Legislature, is named for the late CPF Secretary-Treasurer Dallas Jones. A giant of the firefighter labor movement, Jones lost his own battle with job-related cancer in 2008.
Keep track of AB 2253, and all of CPF's priority legislation, by checking the "Issues and Legislation" section.