Firefighters push for greater cancer benefits

Gunther urges Cuomo to sign her bill

Fritz Mayer
Posted 7/31/17

MONTICELLO, NY — A sea of blue and white hats turned out to the government center in Monticello on July 31 to urge Governor Andrew Cuomo to sign legislation that would grant more benefits to …

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Firefighters push for greater cancer benefits

Gunther urges Cuomo to sign her bill

Posted

MONTICELLO, NY — A sea of blue and white hats turned out to the government center in Monticello on July 31 to urge Governor Andrew Cuomo to sign legislation that would grant more benefits to firefighters who develop cancer.

Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther, who authored the legislation, kicked off the press conference with some statistics about volunteer firefighters.  She said 94% of fire protection services in New York State are provided by volunteers.  If local governments were to pay for fire protection it would require a raise of 26%.  She also said, “The Centers of Disease Control says firefighters are at much greater risk of developing cancer than the general public because of chemicals in products that we have around our homes.”

One of the first speakers after Gunther was Frank Doolittle from the Summitville Fire Department. He was diagnosed with colorectal cancer that had spread to his liver in December 2016.  He said, “It doesn’t run in my family, I’m only 43 years old, so I’m a little young to be having colonoscopies …  I’ve been a fireman since 1989. I was interior before the days of good air packs like we have today. So do I think maybe that firefighting caused some of this? Yes.”

He said, “Even if it doesn’t benefit me, for the next generation coming up, that’s what this brotherhood [here today] is all about.”    

Under current law volunteer firefighters eligible for $600 per month in disability benefits if they are diagnosed with cancer.  The bill would increase that and provide a lump sum of $6,250 for less severe diagnoses and $25,000 for more serious cases.  Also the legislation would create a monthly payment of up to $1,500 for up to 36 months. And there would be a $50,000 accidental death benefit for the firefighter’s family.

The legislation has been passed by the State Senate and the Assembly.  All of the officials who spoke urged Cuomo to sign the legislation.  Gunther invited the governor to come to her district to sign the bill because that’s where the legislation originated.

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