By FireRescue1 Staff
TORONTO — Ontario is extending a system that presumes certain cancers in firefighters qualify for compensation payouts.
A press release said that three cancers – cervical, ovarian and penile – were added to the list of cancers presumed to be work-related. Once a firefighter is diagnosed, the claims process for benefits will be expedited. Furthermore, firefighters will not be required to prove a causal link between the cancers and workplace exposure.
Claims to the three cancers will be retroactive to Jan. 1, 1960, according to the press release. It will apply to full-time, part-time and volunteer firefighters, as well as firefighters employed by band councils and fire investigators.
“Firefighters are vital to keeping our communities safe from life-threatening dangers,” Kevin Flynn, Minister of Labor, said. “Every day, they risk their health and their lives to protect us and our communities. In return, we must protect them.”
Currently, there are about 450 fire departments in Ontario, made up of about 11,000 full-time firefighters, 19,000 volunteer firefighters and 200 part-time firefighters.