empty boats are for uncertainty today on firefighter cancer awareness today we've asking for the chemicals be out so the families can be taking care of. san francisco recognizes she will take care of people who deprive they're all and soon president chiu will announce that. we also ask today you all remember those empty boats and real heros are leading us everyday and we want you to know the boats represent a firefighters like dan and john murphy and clyde. 3 brothers we buried in the last 4 months from occupational cancer. we want to send notice that

firefighters will not go quietly aefrm we lost a firefighter men and women we'll make every effort to let the city and country know that a he or she has passed serving others. again, thank you for coming and now chief joanne will introduce mayor ed lee (clapping.) >> good morning and thank you to tom o customer local 78 and to the cancer prevention fountains we're pursuing proud to raise awareness and address this important issue an issue that disproportionately facts our folks. but not only are our active but retired members and it includes the families we want to raise

awareness and get the word outline we're concerned and do all we can it protect our members who put their lives on the line everyday for city and county of san francisco. now i will introduce a big supporter of the fire service and fire department that's a privilege to introduce our 43 read mayor mayor ed lee (clapping.) thank you, chief. good morning, everyone well, to city hall. first of all, i want to thank the chief for the introduction and leadership in the department thank the fire commission but today it's all about the firefighters. and i want to indicate to you very strongly my stance with our firefighters. that as we ask them from day one

to take on the life threatening risk of savings accountability 0 people and going into buildings and getting on top of the buildings over one hundred and 50 firefighters putting out those disagrees flames in mission bay. or we shared with station 49 celebrating the reobama of businesses because the firefighters did their job over a year and a half going to do so that fire no, the west portal. our board of supervisors appreciate the firefighters we together as part of the city family acknowledge how important the fire department and all it's firefighters so when we ask them to take the risk of running into building and doing all the

herselfic things there's a moment when we say we can do something for you. as tom started earlier over a shorter of years recently we've become familiar with data that's telling us somethings happening to our firefighters as they fight the fires the toxins it's embodied in the things their buena we're asking them to you think so what and do you see that gets into their lungs and skins and causes repercussions that perhaps takes them years to understand. with the national institute an occupational heath that studies where berkley with the collaboration with silence spring and breast cancer awareness we've begun to g

understand what the data is telling us and great institution like benchmarking and ucsf can continue to tell us more and more things. the data is telling us it that long after those hoefk acts are done the firefighters are in dangerous situations because the poisons in their skin and loungz lungs and rest of the parts of their body. as we said this we'll recognize as a city we've got to take care of our firefighters as well. i do know that the firefighters standing behind me are not only proud of their work and the lives they lead they want to live long lives and they deserve it it. so i'll breaking with a practice i've had for many years i

generally don't monopolies my legislation that the board will introduce but i know that before president chiu has the same goals and i'll simply announce i'll be joining the board of supervisors in elective to recognize those daerz are occupy overlook harry's hazard so allow the confidence of our firefighters they deserve it (clapping) and part of today really is about deepening the understanding of ever in the community we begin in awareness day to ask the city family to pay attention to the data but all the firefighters know we'll lead the effort in san francisco thanks to to tom o composer see the cancer awareness foujs not only their years of service but now their purpose where the

foundation is to take those studies my work with the research institutions and perhaps one of these dies with the innovative spirit of the city with the innovation companies we've got in the city that have contoured taking the toxins out their toxins out of food and making it safer so we can probably find answers taking chemicals out of furniture and building materials out of those things that the firefighters are douglas we to tell you the truth u oublth to do with with industry after industry. i'm a big proponent this is a serious matter that will effect several lifers the cancer rates moopgz firefighters and also among our female firefighters is

higher than the usual rates there's not to be a link and a matter of time and science we're precede we'll be supporting and we should be ahead of the converse curve and precipitate this from happening so taking care of our firefighters and making sure they're looking at out for those ongoing diseases as they get their check upside and also even with the chief and with the local 798 changing some practices. it wasn't twroong ago firefighters after a heavy effort they'd immediately take off their mask and protective gear we actually ask them to keep the gear on until their

away from the dangerous air and the mrugsdz in the air. that's a practice. there maybe other practices we identify that will be better practices that will save lives so all of this needs the attention from our city and labor unions and human resources as part of our commitment as we ask people to save our lightens we in turn-on save there's. i join 798 and the foundation doing the research and our police chief and the commission and all the board of supervisors to blame this is to the firefighters cancer awareness day her in san francisco

(clapping) tony i know you've got 28 lovely years in our city and the captain of our rescue squad thank you for those years but now your - you've got another calling to save firefighters lightens i want to thank you for this presentation (clapping) >> it was a little over 7 years ago when we stood on the front steps of city hall with a concern a concern that resonates throughout the firefighter proves that too much of us are dying from this and we line the

city hall what the boats of the firefighters. today, we're part of a national champion give toxins the boat that extends from san francisco to washington, d.c. not only for firefighters but every sense citizen of this country. the core of our fountains mission statements is the preventions and early detention of cancer in our active firefighters. we've been successful in offering thirty states cancers in the groups but we have to change our point of view and place a under the influence on ways to prevent cancer in order to do that we have to consider the root of the problem it exists in a multiple dollar

corporation in the chemical destroy there's been incentives in washington, d.c. trying to get initiatives passed so households products are under control and in 2012, we had our best shot with the safe chemical act the angle stated that manufacturers would have to prove that a chemical is safe about before it can be sold it made it to the senate floor and that was it. the next was the chemical in congress act this bill would do nothing whatsoever to protect the public and, in fact, it would rollback accident oversight in place we're up against the chemical lobby no wondering that pulls the strings

to keep the status quo we're sick and damn tired of bag your canneries sent into the cage every time we fight a fir we're sick and tired of seeing people contracting diseases but for all american sentences that suffer. the time is come to send a clear message to washington demanding that meaningful elective to protect us from our daily lives. thank you very much (clapping.) thank you tony and again, all of us in this crowd can't thank tony for his determination and

he's an inspiration to everyone her. now i wanted to introduce anita a member of our cancer foundation (clapping.) thank you, my colleagues know i love attention i'm kind of a media glutton i'm here to tell my stories i have a lot of stories but this is my firefighter story the mayor talked about the explore i want to tell you what it was like being sworn in i met tony in 1998 he was committed to making sure that whoever he recruited was prepared.

i remember when i first met him, i thought whatever my infancy of a firefighter he was that and some i wanted to be like him and immolate him and he gave me a baseline test i did it i of the lucky i scored high enough to come in and loveland tony was my training officer he was tough and prepared us my told us what we needed to know and he made us good. i have carried tony in my that heart i never thought i'd emulate tony in getting cancer i i take it well, sometimes too much and always worked out and committed in the fire department i raised my right hand and said

the other to the commitment because we made a commitment to you the citizens of san francisco we never forgot that but i said to myself anita be safe and smart and do what your spoentsz to do i never, ever thought about cancer. in 2003 i felt a revolver spot on my breast it wasn't the frozen pea i went to the doctor for a mammogram the mammogram said negative but being the hi contrast i was i pressed the doctors and they were aggressive they did a all the sound the next day i went to work and got the diagnose of cancer. i was in the firehouse most

people would be uncomfortable but for those who having who have had it you know what i'm talking about. i was vulnerable and i cried and called everyone but you know what? i loaf that i was in the firehouse they were supportive and real they made me feel strong and believed in me and encouraged by the. the fire department has encouraged me throughout the process i had 33 dogs of radiation and i wasn't sick a week so i was able to stay at work. i feel like i held up my end of the bargain and i will tell you you cannot stop asking how did i get this why me. i didn't want to sit next to the

with me woman who had cancer she freaked me out but i was her the difference between she myself and some of the colleagues i've watched and i feel like the lucky one. i know tony feels that we survived that i ran into my colleague alison she came in she was very strong and smart and a love tougher than me. she was supportive and talked about how her mother had breast cancer. a year later she got diagnoses with breast cancer and two years later she passed. we can't spot o stop asking how and why. the people who have shaped my career dan and many others who

survived like denise and my friend john when i gave a eulogy last month he was checking in with me and it was my turn to check in with him, i was sdafd. i have love for my colleagues it breaks my heart we can't stop asking how did this happen. so tony and you are the lucky ones and with our support and awareness we'll end this and make our commitment to you and now need to make a commitment to yourselves let's never stop asking and make our stories happy ending. thank you (clapping.)

thank you anita i want to introduce a representative from nancy pelosi's office (clapping.) thank you, thank you for allowing us to be here the congresswoman send her regrets but here's a letter dear friends i'm proud to be in spirit here today, we know that firefighters lead the way for sdaufrdz we tank great pride in our local 798 those brave public serntd protect their neighborhoods and running into danger to keep people out of harm's way. we pie contributed to those all those who survivor and we must

protect the safety of those servicing today, we applaud the foundations leadership for providing cancer screening for detenth cancer recall early to attractive chemicals in the environment we must continue to rise awareness of chemicals in the environment and homes and protect federal fund for training and equipment i'm proud to have worked over 20 years to identify preventable ways for cancer today, we have launched and extended the california's bio monitoring effort in the program that collects and analyze data on the chronic diseases and environmental explorers. i'm deeply committed and pledge

to reduce attractive chemicals that harm the community. thank you san francisco firefighters for your encourage and sacrifice and our service to our nation. best regards (clapping.) thank you very much and now i'd like to introduce the president of the board of supervisors david chiu >> good morning. i want to thank for coming to this seldom memorial for those who have fallen and serviced on behalf of may colleagues at board of supervisors i join any mayor in saluting the mainstream in the san francisco fire department particularly those who it died with their boats off we are a

city had or that has burned and our firefighters have helped us time and time again. when tom o common practice briefed me on the links from an firefighters and cancer 2 hundred and 35 firefighters and 5 within the last is 3 months we've studied that 35 thousand firefighters around the countries have sharperly elevated cancer risk. too many people have had to fight for the san bernardino county in the environment. we have lead the way for our public servant and this is why i'm introducing lefthsz that any member of the san francisco fire

department is diagnosed with cancer we'll presume that is due to your job unless there's - (clapping) and i want to say it this presumption you'll be eligible for full retirements the mayor is absolutely right he's notd never commented before on any legislation without hearing it so thank you, mr. mayor. >> we need to assure our firefighters that if you get cancer you'll be taking care of. we'll send the message to our firefighters we'll take care of you're loved ones our firefighters shaunt u shouldn't have have to prove the cancer is

job-related. i know our colleagues forward to prevent future cancers and going after attractive chemicals in our city of is it fair to say our policy is important to make sure we protect and support all of you who are the heros that protect us. godspeed (clapping.) thank you, supervisor i want to introduce one of our survivors denise (clapping.) working on a custom change just a minute

(clapping.) thank you yes. >> sorry for the delay. i would first like to salute the men and women of the fire service the survivors and those who have lost their battles to cancer. before i tell my story i would like to thank some people for allowing me to express my journey today. tom o commoner local 798 chief white and the foundation, united women in fire service. supervisors supervisor chiu and mayor ed lee and the black

firefighters association. i've been a dedicated member with the san francisco fire department since 2002. i joined the department to help save lives in the community i was born and raised in. in 2011, i was diagnosed with stage iv breast cancer. i was then told by the medical leave office to apply for workers' compensation. while waiting on workers' compensation for the approval i ran out of sick leaf while 5th for my life with cancer i was depend by workman's comp i had no income for several months. but thanks to the generosity of the fellow firefighters and the

police donating time i was able to financially survive. workers' compensation had all of my medical records. indicating my medical condition. but yet they wanted to send a private investigator to my home. while i was in the middle of chemotherapy i had no more strength to filthy felt humiliated and dissatisfied and under valued and have depressed i had to hire an attorney. then i was seen by a workman's comp doctor to determine that the cancer was due to the

industry. my body had gone through enough and the removal of my lymph nodes and 4 painful months of chemotherapy, 5 weeks of radiation and severe depression and memory loss and diebdz from the chemo and also the fear of the cancer coming back. i spent my last 6 years in my career anothers station 48 on treasure island and on january 14th i retired. at the angel of 55. requesting disability retirement that's still pending now that i

look back i wish if cancer was not the only battle i could have focused on getting better but i had one roadblock after another. don't get me wrong i'm thankful to be alive today. i just pray that no one will have to go through the same roadblocks anywhere with that in place. i'm here today by the grace of god and thank you for giving me this opportunity (clapping.) thank you