New Jersey passed a firefighter cancer bill Monday, joining 47 states who already passed the bill, and leaving South Carolina as one of only two states without this protection for firefighters.
Roger Odachowski, president of the South Carolina Professional Firefighter Association, says that firefighters are not just saving lives, they are putting their own health at risk. These risks include inhaling carcinogens in smoke that can lead to cancer. He says that this cancer should be considered a type of injury sustained in the line of duty.
He also said without this bill, it is hard to attract new firefighters to the state, possibly leaving stations with fewer firefighters to protect the public from fire-related emergencies.