VIDEO: A Marion County firefighter whose career ended after a devastating training accident is finding purpose in the pain, as a newly approved bill bearing his name moves closer to becoming law. The Anthony Gillan Act, passed unanimously by both chambers of the Florida Legislature, would guarantee health coverage for first responders injured during training exercisesโsomething current law does not require. Gillan, a senior captain and paramedic with Marion County Fire Rescue, was permanently injured during a standard drill in late 2022. He had served 19 years on the job. โI had to fix a 10-pound forcible entry bar to the end of this 24-foot extension ladderโIโve done it 300-plus times without failure,โ Gillan said. โBut this day, something went wrong. The bar came unattached from the high point of the ladder, struck me on my helmet, and temporarily paralyzed me.โ
