In a news release, the Provincial Government announced plans to expand presumptive workers compensation coverage for firefighters, to make it easier for firefighters diagnosed with occupational illnesses to access benefits. The Province has not yet announced how they'll be improving the system.
Cam Abrey, Dauphin Fire Chief, said it's good news, but there a few key things the Province should focus on.
"It was welcome news to hear that the Province of Manitoba will be doing something with improving our presumptive legislation for firefighting cancer, but it's still a waiting game to see exactly what that coverage will entail...we want to make sure that every firefighter, regardless of being a career position or a volunteer firefighter in a small community, that they're covered through Worker's Compensation Board, with less hassle than what folks have had to go through over the past 25 years since this legislation first came into effect," said Abrey.
Better coverage for volunteer firefighters was at the top of Abrey's list. Across Manitoba, there are 250 different fire departments - 246 of them are volunteer departments.
"So when you look at the other 246 fire departments in the Province of Manitoba, they are volunteer, or paid-on-call as we refer to them. So it would be great to have this coverage, because unfortunately in rural Manitoba, as a member of the fire department, you may go to every single call that comes in, and be exposed to traumatic scenes, carcinogens from the smoke," said Abrey.
Abrey said he would also like to see more uniformity when it comes to coverage, when you look at different jurisdictions. For example, for firefighters in Manitoba to get coverage for esophageal cancers, they need at least 20 years in the service, whereas other provinces vary, with some requiring 10 years, and some requiring 15. Plus, if you work for the specified number of years in one province then move to another, you won't qualify in the new province. Abrey said simple changes like that would go a very long way.
With Manitoba's firefighters set to get a small boost to looking after their physical health, it's important to look at mental health too. Manitoba's province-wide Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder coverage has been praised by many groups, and Abrey said it really makes a difference, especially in volunteer fire departments.
"So you never know what the next call is going to be coming in, whether it's a traumatic car accident, whether it's a nuisance alarm where somebody just burnt their supper and set off alarms in their home, or whether it's a fully-involved structure fire. So being an all-hazards approach, firefighters train for everything that they might be able to face, and it's hard to predict what that's going to be," said Abrey.
The Province also recently announced the creation of a new cabinet position - Minister Responsible for First Responder Initiatives. The role is currently held by David Pankratz, MLA for Waverly, and a former firefighter.
