Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed legislation Tuesday aimed at guaranteeing medical coverage for firefighters who endure post-traumatic stress disorder triggered by their work.
The measure, House Bill 324, adds PTSD to the list of conditions presumed to have been caused by their jobs as firefighters and requiring employers to provide medical treatment for it. A variety of cancers, for example, are among the conditions already covered.
Lujan Grisham joined Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller and other elected officials to sign the bill in front of firefighters at the city’s West Side fire academy.
The governor spoke about receiving quick help decades ago — from a firefighter trained as a paramedic — when her 2-year-old daughter stopped breathing. It’s one example, she said, of the kinds of life-and-death work firefighters handle every day on the job.