ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – St. Johns County firefighters are satisfied with new Florida legislation that will cover certain costs associated with their cancer battles.
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a provision to the bill on Thursday.
According to the Firefighter Cancer Support Network, firefighters have a 9% higher risk of being diagnosed with cancer and a 14% higher risk of dying from cancer compared to the general population in the United States.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that’s because firefighters can be exposed to hundreds of different chemicals that are known or suspected to cause cancer.
“I’ve known upwards of probably 20 [to] 30 people who have been diagnosed with some form of cancer,” Chris Naff, Public Information Officer for St. Johns County Fire Rescue.
Neff said it was costly for those firefighters to pay for their cancer treatments.
“It’s hard for them because they’re not working,” he said.
Now, this bill will provide more benefits to firefighters fighting the disease.
“[DeSantis] signed the bill that is going to make sure that there is no question that our firefighters deserve cancer benefits,” State Fire Marshal Jimmy Patronis said. “There is no area of gray.”
According to a portion of the bill, firefighters battling cancer will now get “leave time and employee retention benefits equivalent to those provided for other injuries or illnesses incurred in the line of duty.”
This means the firefighters will not be forced to drain their savings while receiving the care they need.
“I think it’s peace of mind. It’s peace of mind that we know that there’s additional benefits for our families that we can get taken care of, if there’s a chance we get cancer or if we develop cancer down the road,” Naff said.
New4JAX is speaking with St. Johns County leaders who are pushing for changes at the state level to better protect firefighters who experience line-of-duty injuries or sicknesses. “After the Smoke Clears” airs on Monday at 6 p.m. on Channel 4.