Governor Andrew M. Cuomo signed legislation on September 11 to help ensure first responders and public sector officers and employees who developed a qualifying health condition as a result of their heroic response to 9/11 rescue, recovery and clean-up efforts at World Trade Center sites receive the pension and health benefits they deserve.
- PUB DATE: 9/12/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The National Herald

Greensboro firefighters could find out what toxins they’re being exposed to just by wearing wristbands. Greensboro, Raleigh and Durham fire departments are partnering with the Duke Cancer Institute for a study analyzing chemicals that could put firefighters at risk for cancer. “I've been very involved in training firefighters my whole career and I've been exposed to a lot of different things and it's really crossed my mind an awful lot,” Greensboro Fire Department Assistant Chief over Health & Safety Alex Gossett said.
- PUB DATE: 9/12/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WGHP-TV Fox 8 Greensboro

More first responders in the US lose their lives to suicide than in the line of duty, according to a study by the Ruderman Foundation. In Chicago, a little known treatment for depression and PTSD is rescuing first responders desperate to find help for themselves. The treatment almost looks like hypnosis, but the patient is entirely awake and able to tap into traumatic memories like never before.
- PUB DATE: 9/12/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WFLD-TV FOX 32 Chicago

A state lawmaker has proposed legislation that would require Ohio fire departments to stop training with foam believed to cause health problems. The foam would still be used for extinguishing fires when necessary. But Rep. Brian Baldridge, R-Winchester, says it’s time to stop needlessly exposing firefighters to the group of chemicals called PFAS.
- PUB DATE: 9/12/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Dayton Daily News

For the first time since pay raises were re-instituted for city employees two years ago after nearly a decade without them, not everyone will be given the same hike to base pay in 2020. An agreement with the members of Richmond Professional Firefighters Inc. Local 1408, the union that represents the city's firefighters, calls for a pay raise of 5% next year while the proposed 2020 budget includes a 2% increase for all city employees who aren't part of a bargaining unit.
- PUB DATE: 9/12/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Palladium-Item