Toledo Firefighters Union Local 92 Work for Cancer Compensation

Toledo, Ohio — Toledo Firefighters Local 92 Union He recently put up a billboard claiming that cancer is the number one killer of firefighters. The claim is that International Association of FirefightersThe largest trade union to which Local 92 belongs.

Firefighters are twice as likely to get cancer than people in other occupations because exposure to toxic chemicals and fumes is part of their daily job, argues Local 92 president Matt Tabb. did. She was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer in 2019, but for firefighters like Lt. Jenhill, who is now in remission, she said her diagnosis feels like the floor is falling out from under her. rice field.

“I mean, when I was first diagnosed, I spent weeks thinking, ‘Okay, that’s it,'” Hill said. Think about it.”

Ohio Cancer Estimation Law “Under certain circumstances,” firefighters disabled by cancer are presumed to have developed the cancer from their jobs, it said.

The law further states that firefighters must be assigned to hazardous work for at least six years and be “exposed to a pathogen classified as a Group 1 or 2A carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.” .

But even though workers compensation is part of their collective bargaining agreement, the city of Toledo has denied the request for years.

“Originally, I had to appeal.

This forced the cancer-stricken firefighter to resort to sick leave. And when that ran out, they were forced to rely on sick leave donated by colleagues.

The city has since changed its position and now approves workers’ compensation for cancer, but sick leave and leave are still gone. Tub said he was fighting to get it back.

“It’s a decision the city needs to make, it needs to move forward, and it’s bringing attention to the fact that it needs to take care of its firefighters,” he said.

According to Tabb, the solution for workers today is simple and free. It is to replenish the time sacrificed during treatment. But he said he should cut back on lost time checks for former employees who had to fight their battles without help.

“So we need to get[Toledo Mayor Wade Kapuskiewicz]down from 30,000 feet to realize that we need to take care of things that need to be taken care of,” Tabb said.

WTOL 11 reached out to the mayor’s office for a statement on the matter on Thursday but received no response.

Tabb has watched friends and family in the department battle cancer over the years, so he will continue to fight for Local 92’s firefighters.

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