SPRINGFIELD - Illinois firefighters are a step closer to being able to close roads and better control traffic during emergency situations after the General Assembly approved a measure Thursday.

Dubbed "Shib's Law" after James "Shib" Miller, a Sesser firefighter who was killed in the line of duty when a bus hit him along Interstate 57 in July, the proposal would permit firefighters to close off lanes of traffic while responding to an emergency situation.

The measure, sponsored in the state Senate by Gary Forby, D-Benton, and in the House by state Rep. John Bradley, D-Marion, was approved shortly after hundreds of firefighters from around the state gathered for a service to honor firefighters who died in the line of duty in the past year.

"As a result of all this hard work, we're on the verge of immortalizing, in honor of a friend, an important and life-saving piece of legislation," Bradley said before the vote was cast in the House.

The measure passed the House 111-0. It was unanimously approved by the Senate in April.

The ceremony honoring fallen firefighters began with a bagpipe procession outside the state Capitol and ended with fellow firefighters and family members of the fallen accepting awards from state Fire Marshal David Foreman.

Miller's family, including his brother Kevin, who served alongside him in the Sesser Fire Department, attended the ceremony, which was held outside the Statehouse at the firefighters memorial statue.

Kevin Miller described his brother as an active member of his church, a stay at home dad and a devoted St. Louis Cardinals fan.

"If you ever made him mad, you'd know it," Kevin Miller said. "If he was your friend, you'd definitely know it; he'd give you the shirt off his back."

James Miller, who was a firefighter for 22 years, was honored along with four other firefighters who died in the line of duty: Michael Fox of the Vergennes Fire Department, William Grant of the Chicago Fire Department, Scott Mumm of the Mendota Fire Department and Joseph Zumwalt of the Sheldon Fire Department.

"It's hard to see his name in print," Kevin Miller said of his brother. "I'd like him to be here."

Also honored at the event was firefighter Steve Williams of Marion, who received the Medal of Honor award. In March, Williams broke through the window of a burning building to rescue a disabled woman trapped inside. The medal is the highest award given to firefighters in Illinois.

The measure, Senate Bill 2488, must be signed by the governor to become law.

Kenneth Lowe can be reached at kenneth.lowe@lee.net or 789-0865.