The FDNY on Wednesday honored 36 members — including 14 with ties to Long Island — whose names were added to a memorial dedicated to firefighters and EMS personnel who have died of 9/11-related illnesses. The ceremony took place at the department's headquarters in Brooklyn.
Families and friends of the deceased gathered to honor their loved ones and the hundreds who have died of various cancers, as well as cardiovascular, respiratory and other illnesses related to their recovery efforts at Ground Zero following the September 11 attacks.
The ceremony began outside FDNY headquarters, where New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani addressed those present. "Our city is so much worse without them," Mamdani said, adding that attendees were not only honoring the fallen but also rededicating "ourselves to the enduring work of making New York City worthy of each and every one of their memories."
The names added to the World Trade Center Memorial Wall represent service members who rescued people after the attacks and subsequently developed illnesses attributed to their exposure during the recovery and rescue operations at the site.
The memorial continues to grow as additional names of firefighters and EMS personnel are added each year, reflecting the ongoing health crisis among first responders who worked at Ground Zero in the weeks and months following September 11, 2001.