Sununu in Manchester to sign SB 352, launching early cancer screening program for NH firefighters

MANCHESTER, N.H. – New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu signed Senate Bill 352 into law at Manchester Fire Department Headquarters on Tuesday, ushering in a statewide early detection cancer screening pilot program for active and retired firefighters.

The bill appropriates $5 million until June 30, 2025 toward comprehensive early detection cancer screenings for any active or retired New Hampshire firefighters for blood tests, ultrasounds or lung CT scans and will reimburse up to $1,300 for any firefighter who has gotten one of those tests after Jan. 1, 2024.

Manchester Fire Department Chief Ryan Cashin thanked all those who helped bring the bill across the finish line, stating that it is the job of firefighters to enter potentially dangerous settings to save lives and now those firefighters are safer from the aftermath of those actions thanks to this new law. There was also praise from other members of the firefighting community to bring this law into effect, the first of its kind in New England and only the third of its kind nationwide.

According to Professional Firefighters of New Hampshire President Brian Ryll, 72 percent of all firefighters who died in the line of duty in 2023 died due to cancer-related causes.

“Senate Bill 352 proves that we can do better, that New Hampshire is willing to blaze a trail to get there,” he said. “This bill not only exemplifies the collaborative spirit of legislators dedicating their lives to protecting New Hampshire firefighters, but also reflects the commitment of our own members to protect (their fellow firefighters).”

“The two earlier similar pieces of legislation pale in comparison to what have up here,” said International Association of Firefighters Third District Vice President Jay Colbert. “The level of dysfunction in DC getting any type of legislation passed should be compared to what happened up here in a bipartisan way that is commendable. I’m from Massachusetts where we have (the Governor and both houses of the legislature) under one party and we can’t get this done down there, and it’s deplorable that we can’t.”

Elected officials in kind thanked Cashin and other New Hampshire firefighters for the work they do and felt that this new law served as a testament to the debt owed to the Granite State’s firefighting community.

“Whether you’re in Pittsburg to Seabrook out to Keene, wherever it might it be, (firefighters) have the opportunity to stand up, put their life at risk, for the well-being of their fellow citizens and neighbors,” said Sununu. “We have the responsibility, that obligation, to have your back to make sure you can be preventative and know what the situation is and get treatment or whatever it is you need to do.”

“I think intuitively we all understand the danger that our firefighters face every day and the bravery and sacrifice they display every day, but what we don’t understand is what happens after they fight the fire,” said Manchester Mayor Jay Ruais.

“I come from the town of Londonderry and one of our young firefighters came down with cancer and our community rallied around him and his family, and it’s about time the state rallied around all of you to protect your health,” said State Senator Sharon Carson (R-Londonderry).

“We’re here today because of those who aren’t here, those who truly put their lives on the line and succumbed to various forms of cancer. We’re here for all of them, and we’re here to make sure that going forward, fewer and fewer and hopefully none of the people who devote themselves to this profession succumb to these types of cancers,” said State Senator Donna Soucy (D-Manchester).

The new law is comparable to a program introduced during the tenure of former Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig where Dartmouth Health, Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield and the Manchester Fire Department came together to provide cancer screenings for firefighter in Manchester.