Effective date: November 15, 2019
Application: Applies to all firefighter cancer and cardiac claims, regardless of injury date.
Policy subject: Decision making - Injuries
Purpose:
To provide guidelines for the adjudication of cancer and cardiac claims for firefighters.
Emergency response means those circumstances where firefighters attend a crisis situation including but not limited to a fire, motor vehicle incident, or other incident as part of their active firefighter duties.
Fire department means a fire department operated by a municipality or any prescribed local authority, cooperative or association.
Firefighter means a full-time, part-time, or volunteer member of a fire department.
Primary site cancer means the originating site of the cancer in the body.
Regular exposure means that the firefighter has been exposed to the risks and hazards associated with a fire scene(s), other than a forest fire, during the prescribed period.
Occupational Disease |
Period of Service or Employment (Cumulative) |
Brain cancer |
10 years |
Bladder cancer |
15 years |
Kidney cancer |
20 years |
Primary non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma |
20 years |
Leukemia |
5 years |
Ureter cancer |
15 years |
Colorectal cancer |
15 years |
Lung cancer (non-smoking firefighters) |
15 years |
Testicular cancer |
10 years |
Esophageal cancer |
25 years |
Prostate cancer |
15 years |
Skin cancer |
15 years |
Multiple myeloma |
15 years |
Breast cancer |
10 years |
Cervical cancer |
10 years |
Ovarian cancer |
10 years |
Lung Cancer
Average consumption |
Period of non-smoking |
Less than 7 cigarettes per week |
6 years |
1 to 9 cigarettes per day |
6 years |
10 to 19 cigarettes per day |
13 years |
20 cigarettes per day |
18 years |
21 to 39 cigarettes per day |
23 years |
40 or more cigarettes per day |
28 years |
1 or more cigars and/or pipes per day |
8 years |
Cardiac Injury
Other Considerations
Appeals
The Workers’ Compensation Act, 2013
Sections 2(1)(ii), 2(1)(r)(iii), 2(1)(aa), 20(5), 23, 27, 28, 187
The Workers’ Compensation General Regulations, 1985
Sections 22.3 and 22.4
The Fire Safety Act
Section 2
POL 04/2017 Injuries – Occupational Disease
PRO 04/2017 Injuries – Occupational Disease
POL 05/201 Injuries – Heart Attack
POL 05/2014 Occupational Disease Reserve
PRO 05/2014 Occupational Disease Reserve
POL 04/2006 Coverage – Volunteer Firefighters
PRO 04/2006 Coverage – Volunteer Firefighters
POL 02/2019 Decision Making
PRO 02/2019 Decision Making