Harnedy, firefighter who championed legislation, dies

Friday, Dec. 19, 2003 | 9:33 a.m.

North Las Vegas firefighter Bill Harnedy put a name and a face to legislation that clarified existing state laws that certain cancers are occupational diseases for professional firefighters.

His impassioned testimony before the Nevada Legislature in the spring led to passage of Assembly Bill and Senate Bill 451.

"I probably won't make it to my 40th birthday," Harnedy said during testimony on the bill before the Assembly in April. "I'm doing this for my friends and family and my brothers and sisters in the fire service."

William "Bill" Harnedy died Dec. 11 at his home. He was believed to be 40.

North Las Vegas Fire Department records list his birth date as Aug. 18, 1963, but his death certificate has it as Aug. 18, 1962.

Harnedy's message was clear that future generations of young firefighters who will die from diseases similar to his -- a rare form of kidney cancer related to inhaling carcinogens found in burnt material -- should not be forced to suffer when insurance companies routinely denying benefits.

"Bill was a dedicated fireman and a firefighter/paramedic," said North Las Vegas Fire Chief Jim Stubler, who was Harnedy's battalion chief when he came to the department in 1993.

"He would spend his own money to get additional training. He wanted to get as far as he could in the department. His goal was one day to be a fire chief."

Harnedy's condition has been determined by medical experts and several studies to be a hazard for firefighters. But, despite the doctor's diagnosis, Harnedy was denied coverage in 2001 by CDS, the insurance company most municipalities use for worker's compensation.

In late 2002 the city of North Las Vegas after reviewing the records approved worker's compensation, paid prior medical expenses and reinstated 340 hours of sick leave for Harnedy, Stubler said.

In October 2001 Harnedy was given just seven months to live. Although he never returned to work, even in a limited capacity, he remained an employee of the North Las Vegas Fire Department until the day he died, Stubler said.

Services for Harnedy were Monday.

At the time of his legislative testimony in April, Harnedy acknowledged that the bill would do little or nothing in his battle against his insurance company or in the ultimate battle for his life.

The law that resulted limits the denials for legitimate claims.

The measure faced tough opposition from representatives of municipalities who claimed worker's compensation claims could increase by millions of dollars. Those objections subsided after a Senate committee added language to specify that claims of on-the-job exposure to carcinogens are rebuttable in court.

"I feel that I hung in there," Harnedy said after the Assembly vote. "I know I'm a terminal cancer patient. I know my time is short. ... I hope we can get this done (so others) never have to go through what I have.'

Harnedy, who was born in Castro Valley Calif., was a veteran of the Marine Corps. Before coming to Southern Nevada, Harnedy was a member of the Carson City Fire Department.

He is survived by his fiancee, Bridgette John of Las Vegas, and a brother, Michael Harnedy of Chico, Calif.

Posthumous honors from the International Association of Firefighters and the Alisa Ann Ruch Burn Foundation are pending, Stubler said.