On Oct. 15, the state Senate passed by voice vote legislation requiring insurance coverage so that firefighters can access free and regular cancer screenings. The bill is similar to a version the House unanimously passed on July 31. The next step is agreement in the Legislature on a bill that will be sent to Gov. Healey for her signature.
The legislation requires health insurance offered by a firefighter’s public employer to cover a cancer screening every three years throughout their employment. It applies to full-time, paid firefighters who are employed by the state, municipalities as well as fire and water districts and members of fire departments at some military bases.
Screenings must cover colon, lung, bladder, oral, thyroid, skin, blood, breast, cervical, testicular, and prostate cancers.
Firefighter unions have pushed for the bill for years. Occupational cancer is the most common cause of line-of-duty death for firefighters, according to the International Association of Fire Fighters, or IAFF.
More than 79 percent of the IAFF members honored at the group’s Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial in 2025 had died of occupational cancer, according to the group. Firefighters are exposed to cancer-causing substances like gases, PFAS used in their turnout gear, and diesel exhaust.
Rich MacKinnon Jr., president of the Professional Fire Fighters of Massachusetts, called Thursday’s vote “a momentous step toward protecting the health of the men and women who protect our communities.
Firefighters face an increased risk of cancer because of the hazards we encounter on the job, and access to early detection will save firefighters’ lives.”
-KATIE CASTELLANI/SHNS
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