Persistence may soon be paying off for firefighters across the Commonwealth. They have pushed for expanded cancer coverage as many are developing it at an high rate.
Now, after five years of legislation, this year’s bill looks like it will become law.
Firefighters said state lawmakers were no longer able to overlook the problem in front of them and that’s why they think they are the closest they’ve ever been to getting it passed. In the Roanoke Valley, some firefighters have been pushing for these changes for nearly a decade.
Firefighters face extreme danger on the job and even the best gear in the world can’t stop cancer. Kevin Weeks is a retired Roanoke City fire captain and knows it all too well.
“Out of the last five years we’ve had three pass away, and we’ve had more than that over the last ten years," Weeks said.
The data continues to show firefighters are at a big risk.