# Federal Firefighters Fairness Act of 2022

This bill makes it easier for federal firefighters and similar emergency workers to get workers' compensation benefits when they develop serious illnesses. Right now, firefighters have to prove that their job caused their disease, which can be extremely difficult and expensive. This bill flips that burden around by creating a legal presumption that certain diseases are work-related, meaning the government has to prove the disease wasn't caused by the job rather than the firefighter having to prove it was.

The bill covers federal firefighters, paramedics, emergency medical technicians, rescue workers, ambulance personnel, and hazardous material workers. If someone in these roles develops heart disease, lung disease, or certain cancers after working at least five years in fire protection, the law presumes it came from their job. The list of covered cancers includes brain cancer, blood and lymphatic cancers, bladder cancer, kidney cancer, testicular cancer, digestive system cancers, skin cancer, respiratory cancers, and breast cancer. Additionally, any communicable disease declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization or CDC is automatically presumed work-related, regardless of how long someone worked in the field. The presumption applies if someone is diagnosed within ten years of leaving their job.

This matters because firefighters face constant exposure to toxic smoke, chemicals, and carcinogens that significantly increase their risk of developing these diseases compared to the general population. Without this presumption, firefighters or their families would need to hire lawyers and medical experts to prove causation, which is costly and often unsuccessful even when the connection is clear. By shifting the burden to the employer to disprove the connection, the bill acknowledges the real occupational hazards these workers face and ensures they can access the benefits they've earned through their dangerous work.

Federal Firefighters Fairness Act of 2022

Federal Firefighters Fairness Act of 2021 This bill provides federal workers' compensation to firefighters who contract certain illnesses as a result of their service. Specifically, the bill provides that (1) heart disease, lung disease, and specified cancers of federal employees employed in fire protection activities for at least 5 years are presumed to be proximately caused by such employment if the employee is diagnosed with the disease within 10 years of employment; and (2) the disability or death of the employee due to such disease is presumed to result from personal injury sustained in the performance of duty. These presumptions also apply to fire protection employees (regardless of the length of employment) who contract any communicable disease at the center of a designated pandemic or any chronic infectious disease that the Department of Labor determines is related to job-related hazards. An employee in fire protection activities is a firefighter, paramedic, emergency medical technician, rescue worker, ambulance personnel, or hazardous material worker, who (1) is trained in fire suppression; (2) has the legal authority and responsibility to engage in fire suppression; (3) is engaged in the prevention, control, and extinguishment of fires or response to emergency situations where life, property, or the environment is at risk; and (4) performs such activities as a primary responsibility.