State Senators Joseph Griffo, Betty Little and Patty Ritchie have all voted in favor of a bill that would give better benefit coverage to volunteer firefighters, who face significant risk of developing cancer due to their duties.

Griffo, R-Rome, says he is pushing legislation he co-sponsored that would amend the Volunteer Firefighters’ Benefit Law to include more forms of cancer with known links to fighting fires.

The Senate passed this bill (S3891) in the spring with Griffo as a prime co-sponsor, but the companion bill (A5518) was never voted on in the Assembly this past session, Griffo said.

Under this proposed legislation, after a volunteer firefighter has entered the fire service upon successfully passing a physical examination that did not reveal any evidence of cancer, it will be presumed that any cancerous conditions that develop later are the result of that firefighter performing their duties, Griffo said.

This expanded coverage would include cancer of the digestive, hematological, lymphatic, urinary, prostate, neurological, breast and reproductive systems. According to research studies, firefighters are at greater risk than the general population to be diagnosed with various cancers, including: 102 percent more likely to develop testicular cancer, 62 percent more likely to develop esophageal cancer, 53 percent more likely to develop multiple myeloma of the blood, 26 percent more likely to develop breast cancer and 21 percent more likely to develop intestinal cancer, according to Griffo.

Griffo says he is “urging the public to get involved and create momentum for this proposed legislation by signing petitions in support of these expanded protections.”

The petitions are available online at http://www.nysenate.gov/senators/joseph-griffo .

“When our volunteer firefighters put their lives on the line every time they battle a blaze, they do whatever it takes to ensure that our lives are safe and our homes aren’t destroyed,” Griffo said in a prepared statement. “At that moment of crisis, the last things in their mind are the painful consequences that their service might bring upon them years down the road, with unforeseen illness and unexpected medical bills. For all that these volunteers do for us, I believe we have an obligation to do whatever we can to help these courageous and selfless men and women at a time when they need us most.”