Partner blog post: Ontario Professional Firefighters Association

A few weeks ago, we were lucky enough to meet with Greg Horton, Marcia Kim, and Bob McCutcheon from the Ontario Professional Firefighters Association (OPFFA). Greg Horton is the President of OPFFA, while Marcia Kim is the Executive Director and Bob McCutcheon is the Secretary-Treasurer at the association.

OPFFA was established in 1920 and serves as the representative voice for more than 12,000 professional full-time firefighters in over 80 cities and towns, servicing over 85% of Ontario's population. The association provides leadership, representation, education, and support to improve the personal and professional lives of Ontario's fire service professionals.

During our meeting, we learned about the increasing risk placed on our professional firefighters which are available 24/7/365 to respond quickly to serious medical emergencies, motor vehicle accidents, hazardous materials calls, industrial accidents, ice/water, and other technical rescues. As a result, many firefighters are impacted by occupational cancer every year, despite wearing their supplied gear and following strict health and safety protocols. In fact, the OPFFA team shared that the risk of contracting colorectal cancer increases after years of service to about 4 times that of a regular Ontarian – making early screening and detection all the more important. Notably, the government’s efforts in expanding cancer coverage legislation for firefighters has been considered a great success by the OPFFA in ensuring greater protections for our firefighters, especially at a time when we are experiencing an increase in intense wildfires.

Thank you to Greg, Marcia, Bob, and everyone at the OPFFA for their support of OLIP. And a huge shoutout our Ontarian firefighters for keeping us safe!