This past week has been a busy one for the Ohio General Assembly. We have studied, discussed, debated, and ultimately passed many bills that work to improve Ohio and the quality of life for its citizens.

One of the bills we approved this week was Senate Bill 27, an initiative championed by my friend in the Ohio Senate, Senator Tom Patton. The legislation will ensure that firefighters who are diagnosed with cancer as a result of their career are eligible for care under workers’ compensation.

The firefighting profession is one with which I have a long-standing and personal connection. My great-grandfather served as Chief of the Clarksville Volunteer Fire Department, now known as the Clarksville-Warren Joint Fire District. He instilled a passion in my family for serving and protecting our community.

Following him, my father and aunts also joined the profession, and I too volunteered as soon as I turned 16. Because of my personal and familial connection to firefighting, I have the utmost respect for those who serve in such a capacity.

But that dedication and service comes at a high risk. The men and women who serve day in and day out to protect us from fires, medical traumas, and other emergencies sacrifice their health and even their lives.

Specifically, because of the line of work and increased exposure to harmful toxins and carcinogens, firefighters are more susceptible to developing cancer. Cancer is a debilitating disease we are all familiar with, but the members of the state legislature have worked hard to ensure these first responders have proper care if diagnosed with cancer.

Under Senate Bill 27, all types of cancer and their treatments would be covered under the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation and the Ohio Police and Fire Pension Fund. This coverage applies specifically to any firefighter, full-time or volunteer, who has worked for at least six years on hazardous duty.

A firefighter’s cancer will be presumed to be work-related, unless there are conditional circumstances that an employer can demonstrate. This provides a pathway for firefighters to receive the treatment they need.

Senate Bill 27 is also known as the “Michael Louis Palumbo, Jr. Act,” named in honor of a Fire Captain in the city of Beachwood that is battling occupational brain cancer. He has been a hero in his service to our state, and I am hopeful that if the bill is signed into law, he will be able to more easily access care, along with many other firefighters who are fighting this disease.

Thank you to all of our firefighters and first responders for your self-sacrificing duty to our communities and to Ohio.

I am proud to be part of an initiative that will aid in your care, as you have aided in ours.

Ohio House Speaker Cliff Rosenberger (R-Clarksville) represents the 91st District, which includes Clinton County.