RADFORD, Va. – The U.S. Senate passed landmark legislation Wednesday recognizing cancer-related firefighter deaths as line-of-duty fatalities, marking a significant victory for first responders and their families nationwide.
The Honoring Our Fallen Heroes (HONOR) Act, which received strong bipartisan support with 77 Senate votes, will streamline the process for families of firefighters who die from job-related cancers to receive federal benefits.
“When a fire fighter dies from job-related cancer, that is a line-of-duty death, and it is long past time the federal government recognized that truth,” said International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) General President Edward Kelly.
The legislation eliminates a significant hurdle for surviving family members. Previously, families had to identify specific incidents that caused the cancer — a nearly impossible task given the nature of firefighting work.
“Every shift could technically be an exposure,” said Connor Moran, a Radford firefighter and paramedic. “It’s really nice knowing we have a little bit of something at the federal level looking out for us.”
The daily risks firefighters face extend far beyond the immediate dangers of entering burning buildings. Their regular exposure to carcinogens creates long-term health risks that have become increasingly concerning to the firefighting community.
“I think all firefighters are very aware of the risk of cancer doing this job. It’s pretty much prevalent in everything that we do,” Moran said. “Some of our turnout gear has also been shown to now cause cancer. But it’s still just one of those things where doing the job it’s pretty hard to avoid anything cancer-causing.”
Before the HONOR Act, families often struggled to access federal benefits when firefighters died from cancer. While local charities frequently stepped in to help, federal support remained difficult to secure.
“A lot of local charities, local things they help out whenever a firefighter experiences cancer. It’s a little bit tougher for those federal benefits to kick in, especially after that firefighter has passed,” Moran said. “This bill is meant to protect firefighters and their families even after they are gone.”
The legislation demonstrated strong bipartisan appeal, passing both chambers of Congress with substantial margins. The House of Representatives approved the measure with 312 votes before it moved to the Senate.
President Trump is scheduled to sign the HONOR Act into law during a 6 p.m. ceremony tonight, cementing these new protections for firefighter families.