It’s official: Bills passed to support NY firefighters signed into law

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WHEC) — The Chief James Brooks Jr. Act adds vascular rupture to the list of injuries covered under volunteer firefighter benefits.

The injury can lead to a stroke which can also cause death. James Brooks, a volunteer firefighter from the Lake George area, died of a vascular rupture responding to a fire last year.

The new bill will cover the cost of people who need the care that didn’t cover his.

Gov. Kathy Hochul also signed a bill that will make it easier for firefighters to get benefits if they suffer from Parkinson’s Disease.

It will be automatically assumed that if a firefighter is diagnosed with the disease, it happened as a result of their work.

According to the Neurotoxin Institute, full-time firefighters are 10 times more likely to develop Parkinson’s Disease than the general public.

Researchers believe this is due to burning chemicals, like plastics they encounter on the job.