THUNDER BAY — Wildland firefighters will have the same presumptive coverage from the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board as municipal firefighters, under new legislation and regulatory changes proposed by the Ontario government.
Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development Minister David Piccini made the announcement Monday at a news conference in Brantford.
"We applaud the government for expanding the coverage to include wildland firefighters who also are at risk due to their occupation," said Greg Horton, president of the Ontario Professional Firefighters Association.
The Ontario Public Service Employees Union has complained for years that forest firefighters have been left without benefits after developing illnesses related to their work.
Earlier this year, OPSEU raised concerns about the impact of smoke exposure on wildland firefighters.
Last summer the International Agency for Research on Cancer classified occupational exposure as a firefighter as carcinogenic to humans, without making a distinction between municipal and wildland firefighters.
Natural Resources Minister Graydon Smith said the planned legislation will support "frontline workers who work tirelessly to keep us safe, by improving their access to benefit entitlements and making them eligible for the same presumptive benefits as all other firefighters and fire investigators."
Kevin Holland, the MPP for Thunder Bay-Atikokan, added: "What we have learned over the last few decades, including from my own experiences as a volunteer firefighter, is that there are profound physical and mental health consequences for these first responders who serve to protect people and property."
Piccini also announced that the proposed legislation will expand presumptive coverage to all firefighters and fire investigators for skin cancer, and lower the service time required for firefighters to receive compensation from 15 to 10 years.
This is the lowest required duration of service in the country.
The government noted that growing scientific evidence has shown that firefighters, including wildland firefighters, are at a higher risk of developing skin cancer due to their exposure to carcinogens and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons found in fireground dust.
With presumptive coverage, certain cancers, heart injuries and PTSD diagnoses are assumed to be work-related, thereby providing quicker access to WSIB benefits.
