A potential battle over firefighters, cancer and who is responsible for paying the treatment bills could be brewing in the Arizona Legislature.
In Arizona, if a firefighter develops one of seven types of cancer, state law assumes the disease was caused by his or her job. That means the firefighter is eligible for workers’ compensation.
The only cancers covered are brain, bladder, rectal/colon cancer, lymphoma, leukemia, and mesothelioma of the respiratory tract. Professional Firefighters of Arizona wants to add ten additional cancers to the list.
PFFAZ President Bryan Jeffries said firefighters get higher rates of cancer than usual because of increased exposure to toxic chemicals at fires and, therefore, want an expansion of Arizona’s presumptive-cancer law.