Richard Moody is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media Columbia County will be the first county in New York to assist its local fire districts to fund their participation in a cancer insurance program offered by the Firemen’s Association of the State of New York. The Columbia County Board of Supervisors approved a resolution September 12, supporting the involvement of the county and its municipalities in the FASNY program. Effective January 1, a new state law will require all fire departments statewide to offer insurance to qualified volunteer firefighters that would cover various types of cancer, including lung, prostate, breast, lymphatic, hematological, digestive, urinary, neurological, cancer of the reproductive systems, or melanoma. FASNY, in partnership with the Hartford Insurance Company, is offering a program to cover the mandated insurance at the cost of $225 a year per eligible firefighter. “The county is 100 percent behind backing our volunteer firefighters,” Columbia County Emergency Medical Services Coordinator P.J. Keeler said. “This is an unfunded mandate that would have stretched our fire departments.” The program is budget neutral and will not require an increase in taxes, Keeler said. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.