‘It doesn’t replace . . . what we’ve lost’
Families of firefighters killed by hazards of the job applaud expanded eligibility list
Falk Gruenwald didn’t brag about the heroic things he did at work.
When his two children, Matthew and Krista, would ask to hear tales about being a firefighter, he would downplay the drama of running into smoking buildings or rescuing people from burning homes.
“He would say, ‘It’s just my job. I was just at work. We had a couple of fires, a couple of accidents,’ ” recalled his wife, Colleen Gruenwald. “He was never really boastful.”
Never boastful, but he was dedicated. Although he was 35 in 1988 when he joined the Etobicoke fire department, relatively old for a new recruit, he studied hard and eventually rose to the rank of captain in the amalgamated Toronto department.
Falk was on the job almost right until the end, which came unexpectedly and too soon.
In February 2014, excruciating back pain sent him to the doctor. An MRI revealed a tumour in his spine, and further tests only delivered more bad news. The cancer had originated in his lungs, and it was Stage IV. He died on July 6, 2015.
He was only 62, and his death was devastating for Colleen, his wife of 35 years. But despite the agony, there was one small consolation: The year before, the Ontario government had announced it would recognize lung cancer as an occupational disease for the province’s firefighters.
The decision meant that, in his final days, Falk knew his death would officially be considered a death in the line of duty, which Colleen said allowed him to see a small degree of meaning to an otherwise senseless loss. He also knew that because his disease was recognized as related to his work, his family would probably be eligible for government compensation.
“I think that was a bit of comfort for Falk because his primary concern was of myself and the children,” said Colleen, who said she intends to proceed with filing a claim. Although the government announced its intention to include lung cancer on its list of so-called “presumptive diseases” for firefighters two years ago, the decision only came into effect on Jan. 1.
Before the change, firefighters who sought compensation for lung cancer would have to prove to the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board that they had contracted the disease on the job.
Now, as long as the firefighter had been working for 15 years and was a non-smoker for 10 years before diagnosis, it’s presumed he became ill in the course of his duties.
According to Carmen Santoro, president of the Ontario Professional Fire Fighters Association, designating lung cancer as an occupational illness has lifted a burden from many firefighters and their families. The decision is retroactive all the way to 1960, meaning any firefighter who has received a lung cancer diagnosis since then is eligible to apply.
Under the old system “we would have to drag the families through appeal upon appeal,” Santoro said.
“They’ve lost a loved one or they currently have a loved one who’s dying . . . and it’s very reassuring to our members who may have those can- cers to know that their families will be taken care of somewhat.”
Out of the association’s 16,800 active members and retirees, there are 101 lung cancer claims at some stage of the WSIB process.
According to an OPFFA spokesman, Adam McDonald, that number includes only those members who have reported the illness to the association.
Lung cancer is just the latest disease to be deemed an occupational illness for firefighters. Ontario’s Liberal government first created a list of nine presumptive diseases in 2007. It included eight types of cancers, as well as heart injuries sustained within 24 hours of responding to a fire.
The decision was seen as official recognition that firefighters were at an increased risk for being exposed to carcinogens on the job. The legislation was introduced 10 years after the Plastimet fire, a huge blaze at a Hamilton plastic-recycling company that pumped out toxic fumes for four straight days.
The family of one of the 294 firefighters that responded to the blaze fought a bitter battle with the WSIB to have the esophageal cancer that killed him in 2004 recognized as work-related.
In 2014, the province announced it would add six more cancers, including lung cancer, to the presumptive disease list, phasing them over four years. Skin cancer, which will be added Jan. 1 next year, is the last illness slated for inclusion.
According to Christine Arnott, a spokeswoman for the WSIB, a total 813 claims have been approved under the presumptive disease legislation. She wouldn’t say how much money had been paid out.
But the city of Toronto, citing WSIB estimates, predicts that the six new cancers added in 2014 will lead to $257 million worth of claims across the province. Municipalities are responsible for paying the claims of the firefighters they employ, and Toronto will be liable for about $77 million in new compensation.
Although the expanded coverage will put a strain on already stretched city budgets, the payouts will never seem enough for families like Colleen Gruenwald’s.
“It doesn’t at all replace what we’ve lost,” she said.
“It’s very reassuring to our members who may have those cancers to know that their families will be taken care of somewhat.”
CARMEN SANTORO PRESIDENT, ONTARIO PROFESSIONAL FIRE FIGHTERS ASSOCIATION