On September 11, 2001, terrorists used hijacked airplanes as weapons to attack the United States. Two planes hit the World Trade Center towers in New York City. One plane flew into the side of the Pentagon. A fourth plane crashed in a Pennsylvania field after passengers stormed the cockpit. Nearly 3,000 people died in the attack.
Thousands of first responders answered the call that day to search for survivors amid the rubble, smoke and debris, with 343 firefighters ultimately perishing in the collapse of the Twin Towers and countless more succumbing to 9/11-related illnesses from working at Ground Zero.
Use this resource page to learn about developments in healthcare protections for 9/11 first responders, read the experiences of those who were there and reflect on those who left a legacy behind.
To share your 9/11 story, please email editor@firerescue1.com.
Funding for the World Trade Center Health Program through 2040 was eliminated in the stopgap bill to fund the federal government
The agreement, previously nullified by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, would spare Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two co-defendants the risk of the death penalty
Among the recipients of the mortgage payouts are the families of NYC DOC Capt. Gennaro “Jerry” Cariello, CO Jonathan Latta, and FDNY Firefighter Robert Welsh III
Call it irony, call it life’s randomness, call it what you like, but my personal 9/11 road is a strange and winding one
Chief: “It’s a time for us to not only remember the lives lost that day but to also honor the courage and strength that was displayed by everyday heroes”
Experts said it sounds an alarm about the long-lasting impact of PTSD and depression on the brain
The play tells the story of a FDNY captain struggling with writing an unprecedented number of eulogies for eight of his firefighters who died on 9/11
Pieces of rebar and channel iron from the World Trade Center are on display inside a case next to a firefighter statue outside the station
In one video clip, a young woman washes her fire chief father’s shirt — soiled from three days spent working in the smoking World Trade Center rubble.
The government quietly declassified a little-known report listing more than three dozen people of interest in possible Saudi connections to the hijackers
Thousands of firefighters saluted a flag-draped casket passed carrying two tiny vials of blood, the only known remains of a comrade who died in the Sept. 11 attacks
Battalion Chief Lawrence Stack’s remains were never found, but his family discovered two vials of blood he had donated during a bone marrow drive for a child with cancer.
Over two dozen first responders saluted the canine as she made her final visit to the veterinarian’s
Over 10,000 letters have been sent out in order to be qualified for World Trade Center disabilities
U.S. citizens would be able to sue foreign governments linked to terrorist attacks on U.S. soil; Obama says he’ll veto it if it clears the House
The two graduates were inspired by their fathers; one was killed during 9/11 and another in an explosion 15 years ago
Lt. Cruz Fernandez, 52, died in 2006; his wife argued that his death was related to his time spent at Ground Zero
Nicholas Scoppetta, 83, was commissioner from 2002 to 2009; he helped rebuild the department following 9/11
The term first responder has outlived its usefulness to the point of becoming detrimental to those who respond first
Discarded smoking materials and mulch too close to the building are cited as the likely cause of the 2014 fire at the Flight 93 memorial in Pa.
He honored retired firefighter Ray Pfeifer, who spent months digging through World Trade Center debris searching for firefighters’ remains, with a key to the city
Firehouse dog “Twenty” was donated to the department as a puppy; she was remembered for her loyal companionship
It is expected to pass this week and will extend health monitoring and treatment through 2090, making the program permanent
William Bratton said the country still hasn’t paid its debt to the first responders of 9/11
The Comedian continues his advocacy to renew a law that provides health benefits for first responders who became ill after the Sept. 11 terror attacks
Jack McNamara, 9, held a sign that read, “Don’t let other dads die! I miss my dad, FDNY firefighter John F. McNamara.”
Batt. Chief James Costello, 52, died the day before Thanksgiving; officials continue to urge Congress to reauthorize the Zadroga Act
The James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act must pass out of four key committees and secure agreement on a way to pay for it
Building for America’s Bravest program builds high-tech smart homes for catastrophically injured fire service members
Developers say the controversial experience showing a World Trade Center worker’s perspective, called “08:46,” is a “tribute to the victims”
The 5-foot-long, 3,500-pound beam, one of the last pieces of the World Trade Center, is being given to a fire department in Colorado
Federal officials who administer the program say it will face challenges by February and will have to start shutting down by next summer
The annual Stephen Siller 5K Run and Walk honors the off-duty firefighter who raced in full gear toward Ground Zero during the 9/11 terrorist attack
MOST POPULAR
- ‘I will never forget you': Children of 9/11 victims carry on remembering the fallen
- 15 years after 9/11: What have we learned? Part 1
- 15 years after 9/11: What have we learned? Part 2
- Registration opens for 11th Annual 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb at Lambeau Field in Green Bay
- Union furious after Congress drops 9/11 healthcare funding from budget