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All four St. Lawrence County Assembly reps back bill aiding firefighters who get cancer from doing their job

Posted 5/14/15

All four of St. Lawrence County’s Assembly representatives support a bill that aids volunteer firefighters who get lung cancer as a result of doing their jobs. Assemblywomen Addie Russell …

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All four St. Lawrence County Assembly reps back bill aiding firefighters who get cancer from doing their job

Posted

All four of St. Lawrence County’s Assembly representatives support a bill that aids volunteer firefighters who get lung cancer as a result of doing their jobs.

Assemblywomen Addie Russell (D-Theresa) and Janet Duprey (R-Peru) and assemblymen Ken Blankenbush (R-Black River) and Marc Butler (R-Newport) were among the unanimous vote.

Firefighters have a higher rate of lung disabilities and related illnesses than the general population due to their exposure to the chemicals released in fires. Without this legislation, volunteer firefighters will be left to deal with the risks and harm on their own, according to Russell.

“Volunteer firefighters protect the vast majority of our local communities and are heavily involved in the areas they serve,” Russell said. “The legislation I sponsored will require insurance companies to presume that certain cancers are the direct result of firefighters serving their communities, helping those who have been harmed in the line of duty.”