Firefighter Who Died of Cancer After Battling Fire Scenes Also Eligible for Veterans Compensation

Daegu District Court (Photo by Joo Cheol-in)

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Jucheol In] A court ruling has recognized that a firefighter who died of cancer after 19 years and 4 months of working at fire scenes should be acknowledged as a recipient of veterans' compensation.

On the 6th, Kim Su-yeon, presiding judge of the Daegu District Court Administrative Division, announced a partial victory for the plaintiff in a lawsuit filed by the spouse of firefighter A, who died of nasopharyngeal cancer, against the head of the Gyeongbuk Southern Veterans Affairs Office. The lawsuit sought to cancel the decision that denied A’s status as a national merit recipient and veterans' compensation recipient.

Firefighter A, appointed in 1996, performed fire suppression, rescue, and emergency medical services. In 2015, he was diagnosed with nasopharyngeal cancer and passed away while undergoing treatment. Nasopharyngeal cancer is a malignant tumor occurring in the nasal cavity, with inhalation of harmful chemicals cited as a cause.

The bereaved family applied for registration as national merit recipients, but the Veterans Affairs Office rejected the application, stating that A did not meet the criteria for national merit recipients (line-of-duty military or police deaths) or veterans' compensation recipients (military or police deaths due to injury). However, the court found a causal relationship between A’s death and his duties and ruled that A should be designated as a veterans' compensation recipient. Judge Kim stated, "Considering that no genetic predisposition to nasopharyngeal cancer was confirmed in A, and that he was frequently exposed to harmful chemicals such as formaldehyde during fire suppression, he meets the criteria for veterans' compensation recipients."

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