By: Hellen Zaboulani

The shocking and deadly terror attacks perpetrated 23 years ago on Sept. 11, 2001 have left a perpetual impact on our country and on New York— and unfortunately it also continues to impact the brave heroes and first responders who rose to the occasion. Almost 3,000 people were killed on that day, including 343 members of the FDNY that died on 9/11. But now the number of first responders who died in the aftermath has surpassed the number of FDNY members killed in the attacks.

As reported by the NY Post, on Monday, FDNY officials announced that this year another 28 first responders died from their exposure to toxins at Ground Zero, bringing the total toll up to 370 first responders killed in the aftereffects of 9/11. The somber announcement also said that officials expect the death toll to further increase – especially as federal funding is slated to be depleted out by 2028. The original fund, created in 2010 by Congress, and reauthorized in 2015, has provided roughly $1.6 billion to those in need. Per CBS News, advocates say $3 billion more is needed.

At a news conference, Lieutenant Jim Brosi, president of the FDNY Uniformed Fire Officers Association, said he is working to gain support for the 9/11 Responder and Survivor Health Funding Correction Act of 2024. The proposed legislation would extend the funding for the World Trade Center Health Program through 2033. The federal bill, co-sponsor US Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, would increase funding for research on 9/11-related conditions and set up a new plan to determine funding through 2090.

Brosi made a point to add that it’s important to move now before people start to forget 9/11, especially as the FDNY will soon be hiring recruits who were born after the 2001 terrorist attacks. “The risk we run with not having additional funding now, permanent funding, is the further we get away from this tragedy, the less likely people will be sympathetic to the need,” Brosi said.

Per the Post, the most recent 9/11 victim was a firefighter buried last Saturday, having been diagnosed with terminal cancer less than a year ago, Brosi noted. “Less than a year ago he was on full duty riding on a fire truck and within a 12-month period he was buried,” Brosi said. “A young person: early 50s, active, healthy, vibrant … and in less than 12 months was taken. That’s the part you won’t see in a statistic.” He noted that there are also those suffering from ailments due to their exposure, such as a member below the age of 50, that recently had a permanent colostomy bag attached. “These are significant ailments. People are suffering and they’re not visible in the data,” Brosi said. Also, the original bills may not have been “passed with inflationary costs,” Brosi added.

The World Trade Center Health Program works to monitor and treat over 132,000 first responders and survivors suffering from long-term health effects related to 9/11. Lawmakers “habitually seem to underestimate” the number of people who join the program, FDNY Uniformed Firefighters Association President Andrew Ansbro said. “Every time they go to Washington to get a funding bill, it never gets fully funded. It’s always a piece and they leave a piece on the table,” Ansbro added.

Ansbro said that the latest casualty’s names were added to the Memorial Wall for Deaths Related to World Trade Center Illnesses at FDNY Headquarters in Downtown Brooklyn.