Trumbull Legislators Update Long Hill Firefighters

TRUMBULL-State Reps. David Rutigliano (R-123) and Laura Devlin (R-134) briefed firefighters at the Long Hill Fire Department last night on new legislation passed during the 2016 legislative session which affects their jobs as firefighters.

Rep. Rutigliano was part of a state firefighter working group which consisted of legislators, Connecticut Council of Municipalities (CCM), Council of Small Towns (COST), municipal leaders and the firefighters union.

Long Hill Fire Department Chief Doug Bogen invited Rutigliano and Devlin to provide a legislative update at their latest department meeting.

Both Devlin and Rutigliano supported legislation this session which Governor Malloy has signed into law establishing the Firefighter Cancer Relief Account to provide wage replacement benefits to fire personnel affected by certain cancer conditions

Firefighters Cancer Relief Program would be available to the uniformed members of paid municipal, state, or volunteer fire department, local fire marshal, deputy fire marshals, fire investigators and fire inspectors.

Rutigliano said, “I want to reassure the Long Hill Fire Department that this new law includes both paid and volunteer firefighters. Volunteer firefighters are Trumbull’s lifeline with 100% of the departments in town being professional volunteers.”

“I want to thank Chief Bogen for allowing us to brief our local firefighters. It’s critical that these benefits for firefighters are available. They perform a very dangerous job for the community. It’s the least we can do,” said Rep. Devlin.

The Firefighters Cancer Relief Program, under the new law, would provide the wage replacement benefits, for eligible firefighter cancer victims. The funds in this account are to be used solely for the purposes of providing benefits to firefighters.