The tragic deaths of two Zoneton firefighters within weeks of each other could lead to a change in state law.
Last December, Zoneton Chief Rob Orkies died after a battle with cancer and COVID-19. Then, two months later, acting Chief Garry Key also died of complications related to COVID. Because of a quirk in state law, the families of those two men are not eligible for an $80,000 first responder death benefit. The legislature’s Interim Joint Committee on State Government held an initial hearing Tuesday on a bill that would change that.
“It adds COVID-19 to the list of reasons that a family of a first responder can draw death benefits,” said the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Thomas Huff, R-Shepherdsville. But Rep. Adrienne Southworth, R-Lawrenceburg, questioned where to draw the line on who is eligible for the death benefit.