Council ActionCommittee on Public Health and Human Services
RECESSED
Other recorded action without a published tally.
Official action detail
This Resolution was RECESSED.
Source: LegislationDetail.aspx · gridLegislation
Full Bill
WHEREAS, The Pennsylvania Firefighter Cancer Presumption Act provides that firefighters diagnosed with cancer are presumed to have work-related illness, provided that the firefighter has at least four years of service, had direct exposure to a listed carcinogen, and previously passed a physical examination without signs of illness; and
WHEREAS, The state act, signed into law in 2011, expanded existing worker compensation protections for firefighters which did not previously consider cancer as a workplace related injury; and
WHEREAS, The CDC conducted a multi-year study of firefighters in Philadelphia, Chicago, and San Francisco in 2010, which found firefighters to have disproportionately high rates of cancer and cancer-related deaths; and
WHEREAS, Despite such studies and protections under state law, Philadelphia firefighters and their families often face undue legal obstacles in receiving the benefits to which they are entitled; and
WHEREAS, Most recently, it was reported in the Philadelphia Inquirer that Fire Battalion Chief John Narkin, a twenty-five-year veteran of the Philadelphia Fire Department, was diagnosed with a rare case of myoepithelial carcinoma and deemed ineligible for benefits by the City within 24 hours of his claim; and
WHEREAS, Firefighters are true public servants that deserve our admiration and respect, and those who have been tragically diagnosed with cancer should not have to engage in years-long battles with the City for benefits to which they are entitled to under the law; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, that is hereby calls for a public hearing to examine the City of Philadelphia’s compliance with the Pennsylvania Firefighter Cancer Presumption Act.
End