Union and council press Boston officials to restore firefighter health and screening funds

Union leaders, councilors and Fire Department officials used a May 11 Ways and Means hearing to press the mayor’s office and department leadership on how to replace grant funding that has underwritten preventive health programs for firefighters.

Lede: Sam Dillon, president of Boston Firefighters Local 718, told the council the department’s screening and early‑detection programs have directly saved lives and urged restoring roughly $1.4 million in grants that supported clinical screenings, nutrition and injury‑prevention work. “Those screenings directly caught several cancers that otherwise would not have been detected,” Dillon said in two minutes of public testimony.

Nut graf: The department explained the fiscal stress: a long‑running Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) and other competitive awards that funded screenings and wellness staff were not renewed this cycle. Officials said those funds supported skin‑cancer clinics (587 screened, 94 referrals, two melanomas found), comprehensive body scans and a clinical director who provides nutrition and injury‑prevention services. Without replacement funding, some services would cease by September, department leaders warned.

What was said: Deputy Chief Julie Shay and Commissioner Marshall described the magnitude of need and the budget gap. “We have had that grant since 2017,” Shay said; “we did apply this year and we did not get it,” Marshall added, noting the department submitted FY27 budget requests that attempt to offset some losses but that federal and state grant timing and uncertainty make planning difficult.

Council reaction and options: Councilors pressed whether to pursue a supplemental budget, an internal amendment or use reserves. Some councilors argued a supplemental or mayoral reallocation is appropriate to avoid cutting services that are lifesaving. Department leaders cautioned against moving money repeatedly between departmental lines, saying such a pattern is unsustainable without a stable funding source.

Next steps: Department staff said they will return with line‑by‑line options and cost estimates; council members signaled they will press the mayor’s office for restoration or identify funding strategies before the council’s June budget vote.