VIDEO: 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.
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.
“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.
In Florida, firefighters often have to rely on their medical insurance to cover costs, as there is no cancer benefit provision available.
Florida Chief Financial Officer and Fire Marshal Jimmy 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.