More members of FDNY have died from 9/11-related illness than were killed on day of attack
NEW YORK (WABC) -- Illnesses linked to the September 11 terror attack on the World Trade Center have now killed more members of the New York City Fire Department than were killed on the day of the attack itself.
"Those insurmountable losses did not end at the World Trade Center site," Fire Commissioner Robert Tucker said Monday. "Instead, we have seen our members become sick because of time they spent working in the rescue and recovery."
There were 343 members of the FDNY that died on 9/11. In the 23 years since, more than 370 have died of World Trade Center-related illnesses, the department said.
There were 28 deaths since last year's anniversary of 9/11, according to the FDNY Uniformed Firefighters Association.
"Just because you're alive doesn't mean you're living and these people are suffering every day, just trying to stay alive," said president of the FDNY Uniformed Fire Officers Association Lt. Jim Brosi.
The most recent firefighter diagnosed with a 9/11-related cancer was in his early 50s, active and healthy and less than a year ago he was full-duty riding on a fire truck.
He was buried on Saturday -- yet first responders and survivors find themselves once again, fighting for federal funding.
Congressmember Dan Goldman is among the bipartisan coalition of elected officials pushing legislation that would make funding for the World Trade Center Health Program permanent.
Least year Congress had to pass a $676 million stop gap measure to make up for the shortfall.
"This bill would mean that we would not have to keep doing this every year or every couple years," Goldman said. "There's going to be a shortfall again predicted in 2028. And the reason we're pushing for this bill is that this is our duty as Americans."
Legislators and survivors all hope this will be the last bill needed that will act as a permanent solution.
Of the 2,753 people killed at the World Trade Center 1,103 - about 40% -- remain formally unidentified.
There has not been a new identification of 9/11 remains since January.
MORE COVERAGE | September 11th remembered
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