Resolution 210046

..Title Calling for a public hearing to examine the City of Philadelphia's compliance with the Pennsylvania Firefighter Cancer Presumption Act. ..Body WHEREAS, The Pennsylvania Firefighter Cancer Presumption Act provides that firefighters diagnosed with cancer are presumed to have work-related illness, provided that the firefighter has at least four years of service, had direct exposure to a listed carcinogen, and previously passed a physical examination without signs of illness; and WHEREAS, The state act, signed into law in 2011, expanded existing worker compensation protections for firefighters which did not previously consider cancer as a workplace related injury; and WHEREAS, The CDC conducted a multi-year study of firefighters in Philadelphia, Chicago, and San Francisco in 2010, which found firefighters to have disproportionately high rates of cancer and cancer-related deaths; and WHEREAS, Despite such studies and protections under state law, Philadelphia firefighters and their families often face undue legal obstacles in receiving the benefits to which they are entitled; and WHEREAS, Most recently, it was reported in the Philadelphia Inquirer that Fire Battalion Chief John Narkin, a twenty-five-year veteran of the Philadelphia Fire Department, was diagnosed with a rare case of myoepithelial carcinoma and deemed ineligible for benefits by the City within 24 hours of his claim; and WHEREAS, Firefighters are true public servants that deserve our admiration and respect, and those who have been tragically diagnosed with cancer should not have to engage in years-long battles with the City for benefits to which they are entitled to under the law; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, that is hereby calls for a public hearing to examine the City of Philadelphia's compliance with the Pennsylvania Firefighter Cancer Presumption Act. ..End