Firefighters in B.C. will have improved access to workers' compensation benefits and support services, in recognition of their higher risk of developing work-related cancers.
The Province says eight additional cancers will be added to the current list of 18 cancers presumed to be linked to the work done by firefighters.
They include: Skin cancer, soft tissue sarcoma, as well as, tracheal, bronchial, nose, and pharynx cancers.
The changes will position B.C. as the province with the most comprehensive coverage of presumptive cancers in Canada, applying to more than 15,000 career, volunteer and federal firefighters, provincial wildfire fighters, fire investigators and firefighters employed by First Nations and Indigenous organizations.
If a firefighter develops one of the listed cancers after a certain period of employment, it is presumed that the cancer arose from exposure during their employment.
The firefighter is then eligible for workers' compensation benefits without having to prove the cancer is work-related.
The minimum employment period to be eligible for the existing esophageal cancer presumption has also been reduced from 20 years to 15 years.
While firefighters represent only 0.5% of the provincial workforce, they account for 35% of all accepted cancer claims at WorkSafeBC between 2010 and 2025.
Professional and volunteer firefighters in B.C. have access to workers' compensation related to cancer and other occupational diseases.