By Civia Katz
The Intelligencer Journal/New Era
MOUNT JOY, Pa. — Mount Joy Borough Council had planned to send a letter to state Sen. Mike Brubaker opposing the Firefighter Workers Compensation Cancer Bill. Instead, at the Oct. 4 meeting, council approved a letter in support of the bill in a 5 to 4 split vote.
The purpose of the bill is to make it easier for firefighters to make workers compensation claims if they develop cancer. Currently, the burden of proof is on the firefighter to prove a direct correlation between the job and the cancer.
“Firefighters have a much higher rate of cancer than the general population,” counsel member William Hall said. “This comes down to dollars and cents. If we want to put dollars and cents on our firefighters lives, that is foolish.”
Hall said that some firefighters not only come down with cancer at a higher rate but also have myriad of more unusual cancers in unusual places. Hall said that is because the job of fighting fires exposes firefighters to toxic and hazardous chemicals.
“It’s a dangerous job which I thing we all appreciate,” Hall said.
Counsel members Ricky Shaffer, John Rebman, John Hiester and Charles Glessner voted in favor of sending the letter against the bill. Concerns were raised about the potential cost to municipalities as well as paying for some cancers that may not be job related.
“Don’t say no to this bill,” Hall said. “What the bill is saying (is) if you’re a firefighter and you can show you’ve been exposed to any of these carcinogens as part of your job, it becomes a workers compensation case.”
Hiestand said the current law does not limit the ability of a firefighter to file a claim.
Fire Department of Mount Joy Fire Chief Buddy Hess spoke in favor of the bill and said firefighters are exposed to minute dust particles as well as toxic chemicals put out by burning buildings.
“There still has to be proof that they were directly exposed to the carcinogens while they were performing their duties,” Hall said.
Copyright 2010 Lancaster Newspapers, Inc.