A battle cry lasting years has ended in a major victory for firefighters with cancer and their families as a new bill was passed increasing their protections and benefits. Senate Bill 27 passed the Ohio House with a 72-20 vote and pending Senate concurrence, will soon head to the governor’s desk. The bill recognizes a link between the occupation of firefighting and contracting cancer. Firefighter who contract cancer while on the job will be eligible for workers compensation benefits. There are 38 other states with similar legislation. One lawmaker in support of the bill explained one in 14 Columbus firefighters have contracted occupational cancer. That’s in comparison to one in 192 in the general population.