The Alberta government has made changes to the benefits available for firefighters in the province who are routinely exposed to conditions that may result in some deadly forms of cancer.

In an announcement from Calgary on Friday, Premier Rachel Notley and Labour Minister Christina Gray updated the regulation setting out what forms of cancer will be covered for firefighters who contract their illness on the job.

“Firefighters are at a much higher risk for certain types of cancers than most workers,” Notley said. “And that’s why for some time these cancers have been considered occupational illnesses with regulations that help those who fall ill.”

Now, firefighters with ovarian or cervical cancer will receive benefits after 10 years on the job and those with testicular cancer will be covered after 10 years as well.

Before Friday’s announcement, female firefighters with ovarian or cervical cancer were not covered and male firefighters with testicular cancer had to work for 20 years before they could be covered.

“Female firefighters make the same sacrifices and contributions as their male counterparts and deserve the same considerations. Cervical and ovarian cancer will now be recognized under this regulation to ensure that these firefighters get the protection they need should they fall ill,” Notley said.

Craig McDonald, president of the Alberta Firefighters’ Association, says the new regulations are ‘groundbreaking’.

“This incredible legislation comes from out recognition that fires have changed. A century ago, homes were typically furnished with wood, steel and glass. Today, it’s full of plastics, foams and coatings which create a toxic soup of carcinogens when they burn.”

McDonald says they laid 196 firefighters to rest in 2017 and 60 percent of those died of cancer or other occupational diseases.

“Fires have changed our profession and being a proactive profession, we’ve also changed in the way that we are looking after ourselves. Our professional equipment has gotten much better, much safer, but in turn the fires are getting increasingly stronger and more demanding.”

He says that the inclusion of ovarian and cervical cancers will help all firefighters in Canada, the United States and across the world.

Alberta is the first province in Canada to bring in this type of coverage for female cancers.

Cancer remains the leading cause of death for firefighters in the country.