Virginia Firefighters are dealing with defeat in Richmond.
"This proves that some of these elected officials will stand next to us when it benefits them but will not stand behind us when we need it," said Kurt Detrick, President of the Portsmouth Professional Firefighters & Paramedics Association, Local 539.
Two Senate Bills and a House Bill designed to help fire fighters battling cancer failed to make it out of the committee. According to representatives with the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), all three of bills would have fixed an issue with the Worker's Compensation Law. Representatives say the law currently denies some fire fighters with cancer from getting the help they need.