The Mayor of Willowick has sent a letter asking an Ohio lawmaker to pass a bill to help firefighters diagnosed with certain types of cancer.
In the letter, Mayor Richard Bonde, who also acts as Willowick's Safety Director, writes he is "convinced those men and women protecting us as firefighters need immediate health assistance."
Bonde asked Ohio Sen. John Eklund (R) to support SB 27, which would create presumptive cancer legislation for Ohio firefighters.
Bonde wrote that he was aware of the "increased cost of health care assistance" for Ohio cities and towns if the legislation became law, but "quality and length of life for these men and women should propel our legislators" to pass the bill.
NewsChannel 5 Investigators have learned leaders in several municipalities are also looking into how they can voice their support for the legislation.
How Ohio fails firefighters
An exclusive 5 On Your Side Investigation revealed Ohio is one of just sixteen states without a law recognizing the link between fighting fires and cancer .
“I feel almost embarrassed as the state of Ohio,” said Ohio Senator Tom Patton (R-District 24.)
“There’s no other disabling injury that someone in Ohio will receive while working that we don’t take care of,” he said.
Since 2008, Patton has introduced what’s known as presumptive cancer legislation, not once, or twice, but four times in Ohio.
The proposed legislation would mean firefighters could receive money for medical costs, workers’ compensation, and survivor benefits for their dependents.
The latest version of Patton's bill (SB 27) was introduced in February of 2015. It was assigned to the Senate Insurance Committee.
After NewsChannel5's story aired, the Ohio Senate Insurance Committee held a hearing on the proposal, but has yet to schedule a vote.
Ohio Rep. Christina Hagan (R-District 50) introduced a similar bill in the House of Representatives last fall.
Her proposal (HB 292) has also remained mired in bureaucracy.
The cancer connection
You may think flames are the most significant danger firefighters face as a result of their occupation.
However, NewsChannel 5 investigators found a growing body of scientific evidence shows fighting fires increases a person’s risk of several types of cancer.
The most significant study was done by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health , a part of the CDC, in 2013.
Dr. Tom Hales was on the team that analyzed 60 years of data from more than 30,000 firefighters.
"There is an association between firefighting and cancer and that association does appear to be causal,” said Hales.
“We found that firefighters have increased risk for all cancers and that increased risk was primarily driven by six types of cancers,” he said.
“Those were what we call oral cancers; gastrointestinal cancers; respiratory cancers (lung) and genital, urinary cancers (bladder, prostate, kidney),” he said.
And in 2006, University of Cincinnati researchers concluded firefighters had a higher risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, prostate, and testicular cancer after researchers reviewed 32 studies related to firefighters’ cancer risk.
Firefighters take action
After his brother Mike, a Willowick and Beachwood firefighter, was diagnosed with cancer, Mark Palumbo took action.
He has organized a free seminar entitled “Firefighter Occupational Cancer Prevention and Awareness.”
The seminar takes place Tuesday, March 1 from 9 a.m. to noon at the Cleveland Clinic at 3050 Science Park Dr. in Beachwood.
“The numbers are crazy,” said Steve Westcott, Ohio Director for the Firefighter Cancer Network, an organization which provides assistance to firefighters and families in the event of a cancer diagnosis.
“We are getting cancer much more than someone who doesn't do our job,” he said.
During the seminar, Westcott will present a course addressing firefighters’ cancer risk and review the best practices to reduce firefighters' risk of being diagnosed with the disease.
Westcott is a former firefighter and cancer survivor, twice defeating leukemia.
“I never really was cognizant of that fact you really have that human expiration date,” he said.
“We all do, but when you know that yours is coming, possible sooner than others, that hits you pretty good,” he said.
After recovering from a bone marrow transplant, Westcott has devoted his life to educating and assisting firefighters battling cancer.
