NASHUA – U.S. Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander (D-NH) met with members of Nashua Fire Rescue on Dec. 15 to announce that the Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act, which she cosponsored, passed in the House of Representatives.
Should it become law, the legislation would bolster federal support for firefighters and first responders who have died or are permanently disabled as a result of service-related cancers. The current Public Safety Officer Benefits program only applies to a limited list of injuries and illnesses.
“A toxicologist and an army of lawyers are needed just to get benefits,” said Goodlander. “I will not quit until this bill is signed into law, we’ll keep hitting on this.”
The bill would be particularly beneficial for the family of Nashua Fire Rescue Lt. Jessica Wyman, who died of Stage 4 lung cancer in November 2023. At the time of her death, Wyman had been with the Fire Department for 26 years.
Wyman began being treated for pneumonia in the fall of 2022. However, by January 2023, the treatment was determined to be ineffective and Wyman went for a chest x-ray. The results of the x-ray showed that cancer had spread into her bones and she spent 11 months enduring grueling rounds of chemotherapy and radiation.
Wyman’s husband, Lt. Christopher Wyman of the Merrimack Fire Department, said his wife knew early on that the PSOB program was flawed and filed numerous reports with the state Department of Labor indicating that she had been exposed to harmful chemicals in the line of duty.
Wyman said the 105 pages of medical bills for his wife’s care totaled nearly $1 million. He has not been able to rely on the PSOB program as occupational cancer is not listed as an accepted illness. Wyman also said that because the matter was a Worker’s Compensation claim, medical providers billed him directly rather than the insurance company.
https://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/2025/12/18/goodlanders-fallen-heroes-act-passes-in-house
