1. Fire Fighter Cancer Presumption Laws
Issue Explanation:
Credible studies1 have repeatedly concluded that firefighters have a significantly higher chance of developing certain cancers. Even though firefighters start out as one of the healthiest workforces in the nation, they develop cancer at a higher rate and at a younger age than the general public. At least thirty-seven states have expanded access to workers' compensation or other disability-related benefits for firefighters by statutorily creating a disability presumption for firefighters who contract certain types of cancer while performing his or her firefighting duties. In states with these laws, when a firefighter applies for workers' compensation or other benefits related to their cancer, the firefighter is presumed to be eligible for benefits unless the employer proves that the firefighter's cancer was not caused by his or her firefighting duties. In 2019, the Tennessee General Assembly unanimously passed a cancer presumption law for firefighters that covers colon cancer, skin cancer, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and multiple myeloma. In 2022, the General Assembly added leukemia and testicular cancer, and in 2025, the General Assembly added prostate, breast, and pancreatic cancers to existing laws passed in 2019.
While firefighters are grateful for the passage of that law, there is a need for expansion to cover additional cancers that firefighters are contracting at a higher rate and younger age than the public directly associated with firefighting.
In 2025, Congress passed the Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act of 2025. This bill, signed into law by President Trump, makes certain cancers presumed to be occupational illnesses, unless competent medical evidence says otherwise. The law lists twenty (20) cancers, 8 of which are already covered by Tennessee State Law.
1.) International Agency for Research on Cancer. Occupational Exposure as a Firefighter. IARC Monographs, Volume 132 (2023)
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