By FireRescue1 Staff
COLUMBUS, Ohio — A firefighter who died of occupational cancer earlier this year was posthumously awarded the Ohio Fire Service Distinguished Service Award.
News-Herald reported that Michael Palumbo Jr., a 25-year veteran firefighter, was honored at the Ohio Fire Service Hall of Fame and Fire Awards ceremony for working to get a bill passed that allowed firefighters with occupational cancer to file a worker’s compensation claim.
Before he died, Palumbo told the story of his battle with cancer to the Senate, who passed the bill almost unanimously. He was in attendance with his family when Gov. John Kasich signed the Michael Palumbo Jr. Act into law.
The Ohio Department of Commerce Division of State Fire Marshal and the Ohio Department of Public Safety of EMS presented Palumbo’s wife, Chrissy, with the award as his two sons looked on.
“I was overwhelmed with emotions today,” she said. “It was very nice to see Michael get an award for his distinguished career.”
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