Harckham's Bill To Help Volunteer Firefighters Goes To NY Assembly

For the second time in two years, the New York State Senate unanimously passed legislation sponsored by State Senator Pete Harckham that will help expand health benefits for volunteer firefighters.

The bill now goes to the Assembly, which did not pass it last year.

If approved by the Assembly and enacted by the governor, the long-standing law covering disability determinations for volunteer firefighters due to certain lung disabilities would become permanent.

"Volunteer firefighters statewide often incur major diseases and ailments in the course of protecting our residents and businesses, so we must reciprocate and safeguard the health of these brave first responders whenever possible," said Harckham. "This bill will eliminate a sunset clause for lung care while streamlining access to much deserved health benefits."

Harckham represents the 40th Senate District, which includes the towns of Carmel, Kent, Patterson and Southeast, and the village of Brewster in Putnam County; the town of Stony Point in Rockland County; and the city of Peekskill, the towns of Bedford, Cortlandt, Lewisboro, New Castle, North Salem, Somers and Yorktown, the towns / villages of Mount Kisco and Ossining, and the villages of Briarcliff Manor, Buchanan and Croton-on-Hudson in Westchester County.

Most of the fire departments in the district are volunteer.

Volunteer firefighters provide an invaluable service to New York State and individual communities, Harckham said.

His bill (S.1176) would amend a 2006 law that grants important lung health care benefits, yet needs to be renewed through legislative approval every two years. Similar health benefits for full-time firefighters do not need to go through the biannual approval process.

Lung disabilities for firefighters exceed those experienced by the average adult population in the U.S. In the line of duty, firefighters are exposed to gases, toxins and other substances that have damaging short- and long-term effects on the respiratory system. Some of the toxic gases and respiratory tract irritants that firefighters are at risk of inhaling include sulfur dioxide, hydrogen chloride, phosgene, nitrous oxides, aldehydes and particulate matter, Harckham said.

If enacted, the legislation would benefit over 80,000 volunteer firefighters and their families across New York.

"We would like to thank Senator Harckham for his hard work in getting this important piece of legislation again passed in the State Senate," said Edward Tase, Jr., president of the Firefighters Association of the State of New York. "FASNY wholeheartedly supports this legislation, which will take this long-standing benefit and make it permanent, further strengthening this critical safety net for our volunteer firefighters. We are ready to work with the Assembly and we urge them to follow suit and pass this in their house."