Dunedin firefighters are rallying behind a legislative push to cut the “legal rigmarole" for colleagues diagnosed with cancer. The member's Bill, developed by the Green Party, would grant automatic ACC cover to firefighters suffering from 21 specific cancers. New Zealand Professional Firefighters Union (NZPFU) Dunedin secretary and Senior Firefighter Mike Taylor said it meant if a firefighter, or retired firefighter, was to get one of the 21 cancers, the onus would not be on them to prove it was caused by their firefighting duties. "It would be presumed that that's where they got these certain types of cancers, and therefore would take the burden off the firefighter to prove it.” At present, if a firefighter had cancer and they suspected it was due to some of the toxins they were exposed to as part of their work, it was up to them to go through the “legal rigmarole” of trying to dig up the number of incidents they had been to, the types of incidents and incidents that had particularly toxic chemicals to try to prove to the ACC the exposure was responsible for the cancer, he said. "Instead, they could just focus on getting better.” He said nobody wanted to go “trawling through the records” after receiving a cancer diagnosis. "That can be pretty traumatic for a firefighter.” It was hard seeing long-time colleagues go through it, he said. "I think over the years the PPE's gotten better, the awareness is definitely better on how to look after ourselves post-fire, but I think there is still a huge risk to firefighters.” Green Party MP Mike Davidson, who developed the Bill, said occupational cancer was the “biggest killer” of firefighters, not the fires they fought. “This Bill will bring us more in line with our international friends — it's long overdue for us to protect our firefighters in the same way.” Presumptive occupational cancer cover for firefighters was already law in Australia, Canada and parts of the United States, he said. The member's Bill covers 21 named cancers that international research links to the carcinogenic hazards firefighters are exposed to. The Green Party and the NZPFU are seeking the support of non-executive members so the Bill can skip the ballot and go straight on to the order paper. That would require 61 MPs (excluding ministers and parliamentary under-secretaries) to publicly support it. laine.priestley@odt.co.nz
