Utah’s firefighters risk a great deal to keep our communities safe, and in March 2025, Utah made a significant step towards protecting them in return. Many public entities will already be familiar with House Bill 65, which passed in March 2025. This groundbreaking legislation targets a leading cause of death for firefighters: cancer.
Fire Chief Jeremy Craft, who is himself battling cancer, highlighted why this legislation is such a critical “win” for firefighters: “When the bells ring, we don’t hesitate to run in. We’ll answer any call without thinking about the danger. It’s afterwards that we have to sit around and wonder, did we get cancer? Yes, the risks are still there, but early detection can mean the difference between life and death.”
Even the most welcomed progress can come with growing pains, and in the case of HB65, that takes the form of workers’ compensation premiums. Public entities with fire departments can expect their renewal premiums to reflect the increase in protection for their firefighters.
Typically, in workers’ compensation, the onus is on an employee to prove that their work caused the claimed injury or illness. Labeling a cancer as “presumptive” shifts the burden of proof; in these cases, it is now on the employer to prove that their duties did not cause the cancer. This will often require the public entity to provide compelling medical or scientific evidence that something other than work exposure is a more likely cause of the cancer. The bill expands the list of presumptive cancers from four to fifteen. It also expands access to cancer screenings to promote early detection, including outlining a schedule for these screenings.
The bill specifies limitations around which firefighters will qualify for the presumption, but it’s important to note that firefighters can always seek workers’ compensation for their cancers, whether it is considered presumptive or not. The difference lies in the likelihood of that claim being paid out, which means that workers’ compensation premiums in Utah are likely to adjust to cover this likelihood.
