Gov. Ron DeSantis recently signed a bill into law aimed at protecting Florida firefighters as they train for one of the most dangerous jobs.
The new law, under SB 1202, will expand employer-paid health insurance benefits to firefighters who become totally or permanently disabled during an official training exercise. The law also extends those benefits to a firefighter's spouse and dependent children.
Sen. Stan McClain (R-Ocala) sponsored the bill in the Senate. Reps. Judson Sapp (R-Green Cove Springs) and Fabian Basabe (R-Miami Beach) carried a similar House version.
The bill passed unanimously in the Senate, 36-0, followed by a 116-0 unanimous vote in the House a few weeks later.
Notably, the bill does not indicate if any benefits will apply retroactively.
According to recent data, 63,175 firefighters were injured in the line of duty in the United States in 2023. The figure represented a slight decrease from the previous year, when 65,650 firefighters were injured on the job, or a 4 percent decline.
Of those, 8,525 were injured from training activities in 2023.
Furthermore, about 30% of all injuries in 2023 occurred during fireground operations, or 18,875 people. Other reported injuries include 13,275 at non-fire emergency incidents, 10,700 while responding or returning from an incident, and 11,800 during other on-duty activities.
Overall, fighter injuries are much lower than in the 1980s, when over 100,000 were hurt on the job.
The law will go into effect for firefighters injured on or after July 1.
