Bill 288: Firefighter Occupational Cancer Prevention Act

This bill primarily affects municipal fire departments across Nova Scotia, both paid and volunteer. Fire departments — whether they run a small volunteer crew in a rural municipality or a larger paid department in a city like Halifax — will need to follow new cleaning and decontamination protocols for gear like bunker suits and helmets after calls. Departments that currently use PFAS-containing foams or older gear may eventually need to replace that equipment. The bill also touches on how firefighters access health screening, which could affect scheduling and coverage for departments with shift-based or on-call staff.