Without a new law approved in the state Legislature and signed by the governor, volunteer firefighters would be left to deal with the risks and harm to first responders on their own, according to Assemblywoman Addie Russell, D-Theresa.

Gov. Cuomo on July 1 signed into a law legislation that will require insurance companies to presume that certain cancers are the direct result of firefighters serving their communities.

Russell and St. Lawrence County’s other three Assembly representatives -- Ken Blankenbush, R-Black River, Marc Butler, R-Newport and Janet Duprey, R-Peru – all voted yes.

“Volunteer firefighters are selfless and vigilant members of our local communities who are deeply invested in the areas they serve,” Russell said. “These men and women put themselves in harm’s way whenever they arrive at the scene of an emergency, and I believe we owe it to them to give them protection down the road.”

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.