Florida’s first responders with a win today in Tallahassee.
A bill passed its first hurdle in a senate committee that would improve their workman’s compensation.
It would cover any cancer related to first responder work, like smoke inhalation. And any psychological damage, like PTSD,
Firefighters and the state’s Fire Marshal celebrated the progress today in Palm Beach County.
“Its hard for me to fight back the tears. From Butch Smith, to Jerry Countryman, to Jimmy Crenshaw and other men that I have lost. Dave Jackson was probably the first. Died of luekemia. The list goes on. It was never reported, it was never calculated but now it’s being(calculated),” said Captain Ed O’Berry with Palm Beach County Fire Rescue. He’s been with the department for 29 years.
“We’re just trying to make sure that they get the benefits they need in order to get back to a life of normalcy is being provided and my office is doing everything we can to get behind this issue to ensure our firefighters get the benefits they deserve,” said Jimmy Patronis, the State Fire Marshal and state CFO.
The state legislative session starts on January 9.