‘Bad News!’ Clay County Firefighter Among 226 Remembered In National Memorial

Clay County, Florida –  One of the 226 firefighters recognized during the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend in Maryland was a Clay County firefighter.

In 2019, the engineer with Clay County Fire Rescue, Jeremy McKay, passed away due to cancer.

Both Jasen Hernandez and Ronnie Hutchison, who belong to Local 3362 Clay County Professional Firefighters Union, had a close acquaintance with McKay.

Hutchison stated, “He was a very consistent worker who had no negative traits.”

On behalf of McKay’s family, Hernandez and Hutchison were given a flag.

It’s depressing. We must come out here and show our brotherly respect by acting in his best interests,” Hernandez remarked.

After receiving a diagnosis of stomach cancer a little over a year prior, McKay passed away in November of 2019. He was forty-five years old.

However, what he accomplished in that fight is currently altering lives.

“Until the very end, he remained a fighter.” He did not fight only for himself. Hutchison stated, “He not only battled for his family but also established precedent and stood up for those firefighters that came after him.

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McKay celebrated the passage of such a measure into Florida law less than six months before his death.

McKay was instrumental in the passage of a bill in 2019 that provides complete coverage for treatment, a $25,000 payout, and death benefits for surviving firefighters who are diagnosed with cancer while performing their duties.

The governor of Jacksonville just approved a new bill last week that increases benefits for firemen who have been diagnosed with cancer. This bill was made possible by the first one.

“He did fight to the very end, all the way to Washington, D.C. He traveled to Tallahassee and Washington, D.C., where the law was passed. Hernandez stated, “He had a significant role in that.

“Jeremy’s struggle extended beyond his sickness. Every firefighter in the future is involved in Jeremy’s fight. It’s also about their cancer,” Hutchison remarked.

They emphasized that McKay’s passing would not be in vain.

This past weekend in Maryland, seven firemen from Florida received honors. Cancer-related deaths occurred in the line of duty in four of those cases.