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SB 1446

FIRE MARSHAL-TRACK DEATHS

104th Regular Session Introduced by Harry Benton and 40 co-sponsors

Illinois will systematically track and publicly report firefighter deaths, including suicides and cancer, to inform prevention, policy, and benefits.

Public Act . . . . . . . . . 104-0102
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Bill Summary · SB 1446

Summary — SB 1446 (Public Act 104‑0102): Tracking Firefighter Mortality (Illinois)

Status: Enacted — Public Act 104‑0102 (Governor approved August 1, 2025; effective January 1, 2026)
Introduced: January 31, 2025 (Sen. Cristina Castro) — House chief sponsor Rep. Anna Moeller
Companion: HB 1127

Purpose / Intent

Require systematic tracking and public reporting of firefighter deaths in Illinois to better document causes and manners of death (explicitly including suicide and various cancers). The goal is to create a statewide data source that can inform prevention, occupational-health policy, benefit decisions, and public awareness.

Key provisions

  • Adds a new Section 5 to the State Fire Marshal Act (20 ILCS 2905/5 new) titled “Tracking firefighter mortality.”
  • Implementation timeline: The Office of the State Fire Marshal (OSFM) must begin tracking no later than six months after the Act’s effective date (i.e., by July 1, 2026, based on a Jan 1, 2026 effective date).
  • Reporting requirement (as adopted in a House amendment): all fire departments and units of local government that provide fire protection must report the death of any active firefighter to OSFM, including the cause and manner of death. Reports must include deaths resulting from suicide and various types of cancer.
  • Post‑separation cancer reporting: If a firefighter separates from service and had a known cancer diagnosis and then dies of that cancer within 12 months after separation, the department/unit must also report that death.
  • OSFM responsibilities: receive, track, and record all reported firefighter deaths and publish an annual report based on those records; the report must be made available to the public.
  • The enrolled bill’s original language simply directed OSFM to track and record manners of death for “all firefighters,” but the adopted amendment added the active reporting duty for departments/local governments and the annual public report requirement.

Who is affected

  • Active firefighters in Illinois (and certain post‑separation deaths tied to known cancer diagnoses within 12 months)
  • Fire departments and local government units providing fire protection (reporting and recordkeeping duties)
  • Office of the State Fire Marshal (administration, data collection, publication)
  • Stakeholders who use mortality data: public health researchers, policymakers, labor groups, families, and agencies administering firefighter benefits

Procedural/timeline notes

  • Effective date: January 1, 2026. OSFM must begin tracking within 6 months after that date.
  • Enacted as Public Act 104‑0102 following passage in both chambers and gubernatorial approval on August 1, 2025.

Additional observations

  • The Act requires public reporting but does not specify detailed data standards, format, confidentiality protections, or enforcement penalties for non‑reporting; those operational details will be addressed administratively by OSFM or local reporting entities as implementation proceeds.
  • Improved mortality data could be used to support prevention programs, occupational-health initiatives, and policy decisions; the Act establishes the basic statutory authority and reporting framework to begin that work.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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