VANCOUVER - Firefighter Robert Hall dedicated his life to making it easier for firefighters with cancer to receive compensation benefits.

He was proud when, in 2005, the provincial government introduced legislation recognizing cancer as one of the hazards firefighters face in the line of duty.

Last week, Hall became one of those firefighters he lobbied to protect when he died in hospital after suffering from colorectal cancer. He was 51.

"He was very proud of that day and he should be because he [worked hard] on behalf of the guys to get there," said Rod MacDonald, president of the Firefighters Union Local 18.

"The sad irony of this whole thing -- it was never lost on us -- that he contracted one of the cancers he had lobbied for on behalf of the firefighters."

Hall's death has left a void in the firefighting community across North America, with up to 1,000 people expected to attend his memorial on Wednesday.

The memorial, which will see hundreds of firefighters march along Burrard Street, will be capped off with a line-of-duty medal presented to Hall's widow Katty.

Harold Schaitberger, president of the International Association of Firefighters, which represents more than 280,000 firefighters across North America, will present the medal, marking the first time the international president has come to the funeral of a Vancouver firefighter, MacDonald said.

"There will definitely be some tears on the faces of some of those men marching," he said. "I'm definitely going to miss him."

MacDonald remembers holding Hall's hand before he died and telling him he'd fill him in on news of a Canadian firefighting policy conference when he returned from Nova Scotia.

But Hall, his best friend, died while he was away. The firefighters at the conference held a moment of silence, wept and toasted the man they called their "brother."

"We spent a lot of time having tears together," said Al Leier, president of the B.C. Professional Firefighters Association, of which Hall was secretary-treasurer.

Hall, a dedicated father of five, was described by his colleagues as a passionate firefighter, who "cared about the working people and their working conditions." He also organized several events for charity, such as Bikes for Burns bike rides, and sat on the Vancouver General Hospital Foundation.

But Hall was particularly passionate about his cause to ensure cancer-stricken firefighters would receive compensation benefits.

He succeeded in 2005 when B.C. became Canada's fifth province to offer some form of cancer-protection law for firefighters who became disabled from cancer on or after April 11, 2005.

The law put the burden of proof on the employer to establish why a firefighter should not be eligible for compensation rather than requiring the firefighter to prove the case.

Hall took comfort in knowing his family would be taken care of, but asked MacDonald to carry on the fight before he died. MacDonald said he doesn't need to think twice.

"He didn't die in some inferno, that's tragic enough," MacDonald said. "His job killed him."

The B.C. law names brain, bladder, kidney, ureter and colorectal cancers as occupational hazards for firefighters. It also names leukemia and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Leier said he and Hall were pushing government to add testicular, lung and esophageal cancer to the list.

He said many of the items in burning buildings create a toxic smoke that enters the body every time a firefighter answers a call.

"It's almost impossible to prevent and there's nothing on the horizon in terms of technology for firefighters that's going to improve that," Leier said. "It's always going to be a part of our job, something we learn to live with."

But it wasn't all work for Hall.

When he wasn't lobbying or spending time with his family, Hall loved to unwind with his guitar, listen to live blues music or jig at some Irish sing-alongs. He had travelled many times to Ireland and Cuba, and he and MacDonald had planned to celebrate their 50th birthdays -- they were born two days apart in September 1955 -- in Cuba before Hall got sick.

MacDonald now plans to go alone and remember his friend.

"He was a man of leisure," MacDonald said. "After the work was done, he was in his element when he was sitting around with his buddies having a pint and debating the politics of the country. That was his arena."

ksinoski@png.canwest.com