A new bill has been introduced in the South Carolina legislature that would create new a supplemental insurance policy for some firefighters diagnosed with cancer.
Cancer is the leading cause of deaths in career firefighters, according to the Firefighter Cancer Support Network.
While most fire departments – including the Aiken Department of Public Safety – provide cancer health care benefits to their employees, some firefighters believe the Firefighter Cancer Health Care Benefit Plan currently being discussed in the S.C. legislature would be a big step forward in improving their coverage.
"The benefits to this one are a lot better than what the locals can offer," said Capt. Brian Brazier, who works in the ADPS fire division. "With as many firefighters as (the state) is looking to cover, the cost of this is going to be pretty high, but the money is there to do it. I feel like we need to support the fire services in the state."