A 2002 study by a University of Miami researcher of more than 30,000 Florida firefighters over about 20 years showed higher incidences of cancer among firefighters than the general population. But that study and others have failed to establish a direct link between diseases and the occupation.

"We just don't know what the issue is," David Daniels, chairman of the International Association of Fire Chiefs' safety, health and survival section, said in a telephone interview from Atlanta.

"Too many folks are dying on the job and from it. We can't prove it yet, but we have anecdotes everywhere suggesting firefighters are getting cancer at higher rates than the general population."

Rep. Joseph Murray, R-Ogden, sponsored the bill authorizing the study, which will be designed to prove whether there's enough evidence to presume a public safety worker got a disease in the course of his or her job.

Last fall, British Columbia's government authorized a compensation act that recognizes firefighters face an increased risk of cancer, putting the burden of proof on the government to show why a worker shouldn't receive compensation. It followed similar acts in other Canadian provinces.

It was Murray's original intent to adopt a similar law, but his bill was substituted in favor of studying the issue during legislative committee hearings.

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