The names of more than 170 FDNY firefighters who died from 9/11 illnesses will be added to the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation Memorial in Maryland, so that the ultimate sacrifice they made — from their efforts in the days and weeks after the terror attack — won’t be forgotten, officials said.
The foundation will mark the distinction with a solemn ceremony in Staten Island on Saturday expected to draw thousands of relatives, friends and colleagues of the 176 fallen firefighters.
“It comes down to the fact that these men gave their lives as a result of their rescue and recovery efforts,” said Victor Stagnaro, CEO of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. “From our perspective, they deserve to be honored just as those who died that day.”
“Every firefighter who succumbs to a 9/11 illness deserves to be honored and their families deserve to be supported,” he said.
Among those in attendance will be Mayor Adams, Fire Commissioner Robert Tucker and former FDNY fire commissioners. U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Donna Black, acting head of the U.S. Fire Administration, are also expected to be in attendance.
Following a tradition that began when the federal memorial was constructed in 1981, the families of the fallen firefighters will each get an American flag that has either been flown over the U.S. Capitol or the memorial itself, as well as a rose and a badge, organizers said.
Fifteen members of the FDNY’s ceremonial unit traveled down to Maryland last month on the 9/11 anniversary to fly the flags over the memorial, then painstakingly folded them in the traditional military style so they can be given to the families, Stagnaro said.
“It was a real special event, very symbolic,” Stagnaro said. “September 11 is usually a day where members of the fire service go to ceremonies elsewhere. So we try not to schedule anything here, but they decided to come here and fly them all on 9/11.”
FDNY First Deputy Commissioner Mark Guerra said that the 9/11 trip to Maryland was just one of many steps to make this event as poignant as possible.
“A lot of thought has gone into preparing this,” said Guerra, who was once executive officer of the FDNY Ceremonial Unit and will be the master of ceremonies at Saturday’s event, which will be held on the College of Staten Island campus. “Being a ceremonial guy myself, I always looked at anyone who died of a World Trade Center illness as a line-of-duty death.
“Sometimes it takes the rest of the world to catch up with our line of thinking,” he said. “It’s very hard to say that they didn’t die a line-of-duty death.”
The federal government acknowledged the important distinction in 2010 when Congress passed the James Zadroga Act, which provides health monitoring and aid to the first responders, volunteers and survivors of the Sept. 11 attacks who have come down with 9/11-related illnesses.
As of this week, 412 FDNY firefighters and EMS members have died from a 9/11 illness linked to their time at Ground Zero.
The foundation — created in 1982 to honor firefighters, support their families and work with the nation’s fire departments to prevent fire-related deaths — has memorialized firefighters who died of 9/11 illness before. But since certain federal criteria must be reached before a name is authorized for the memorial, some slipped through the cracks, Stagnaro said.
“When the FDNY announced that the number of 9/11 illness deaths surpassed the 343 (firefighters) that died on Sept. 11, we realized we had only honored 130 (9/11 illness deaths),” the memorial head said. “We immediately went to the FDNY and said we need to look at your list and compare notes.”
A few FDNY 9/11 illness victims weren’t added because they were EMS emergency medical technicians and paramedics, not firefighters, organizers said, adding that the 176 honored on Saturday should ensure that all FDNY firefighters who died of a 9/11 illness will be included on the wall.
“It’s a one-time catch-up,” Stagnaro said.
At the ceremony, a plaque with the names will be unveiled. That plaque will then be taken to Maryland and added to the wall next week.
While the memorial wall will be updated during a ceremony in May, organizers decided to do a special ceremony in New York on Saturday so that the families wouldn’t have to travel.
“The NFFF offered to have the event in New York City so they can get them on the wall,” Guerra said. “It’s really coming full circle for the NFFF to recognize our members.”
