MISSION - Firefighters in Texas are waiting for a bill to be signed by the governor that will help those who get cancer on the job.

A Mission firefighter and a Rio Grande Valley senator teamed-up to help protect first-responders fighting for their lives.

Homer Salinas is proud to serve as a firefighter today.

Two years ago his passion for helping people was threatened when he was diagnosed with cancer.

After Salinas beat the cancer, he filed for worker’s compensation and got it; the decision was later appealed by the insurance company.

“We shouldn't have to go through this. There was already a law to protect us, but there were too many loopholes in this law,” he says.

The Legislative Agent for the Third District of Texas State Association of Firefighters, Michael Silva, says the law wasn’t enough.

The bill now awaits the governor’s signature; it will include 11 kinds of cancers and grants firefighters the ability to recover attorney fees.

For more information watch the video above.