Thanks for working on this, Trip! Looking over the proponents’ argument (https://www.sf.gov/sites/default/files/2024-08/prop_h_-_official_pro_redacted.pdf), here are some thoughts you might be able to use…
The measure’s proponents open their argument by stating, “It’s a fact: Cancer is the leading cause of occupational death among firefighters.”
Lots of people die of cancer. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, it’s the second leading cause of death in the United States after heart disease, killing over 600,000 people a year – FastStats - Leading Causes of Death. Heredity, diet, sedentary lifestyles, and tobacco smoking, are all major causes of cancer. For most victims, cancer is not something they somehow contracted on the job, as convenient as such an explanation might be for those seeking to claim workers compensation or other benefits.
How much do cancer rates among firefighters exceed those among the general population, if at all? Proponents don’t say. Firefighters apparently are somewhat more likely to die of cancer than other people, on average (14% more likely according to this website – What are Cancer Rates Among Firefighters?) but some of this difference may be attributable to failure to use proper protective measures or maintain healthy lifestyles. It’s not a given that someone who dies of cancer, acquired the disease on the job and would not have gotten it anyway, even if their occupation puts them at slightly higher statistical risk.
Most firefighter calls don’t even involve fires. Typically they get called for things like medical emergencies. According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), "Only 4% of all reported fire department runs were fire related.” (https://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/statistics/v22i1-fire-department-run-profile.pdf)
Even calls that do involve fires often don’t involve firefighters actually entering burning buildings or being exposed to significant levels of smoke. On the rare calls that do involve such circumstances, of course they also presumably wear high-quality masks to prevent smoke inhalation.
Proponents have failed to present any actual data to substantiate the picture they are trying to draw in order to justify giving already well-compensated city government employees even more money decades after they’ve stopped working for the city.
Love & Liberty,
((( starchild )))