2 More N.Y. Firefighters Die from 9/11-Related Illnesses

Mar. 15, 2025

(Left) Battalion Chief Dennis J. Collopy; (Right) Firefighter Thomas Dunn.Photo:FDNY (2)

FDNY (2)

Two more New York City firefighters have died as a result of health issues sustained while working at the site of theSept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on theWorld Trade Center.

FirefighterThomas Dunn, 53, andBattalion Chief Dennis J. Collopy, 84, died from World Trade Center-related illnesses, the Uniformed Firefighters Association (UFA) said in posts on X, the platform previously known as Twitter.

In a post UFA posted onFacebook, colleagues mourned Dunn. One shared a memory of how he was on-site on the morning of Sept. 11 helping people.

New York City firefighters work in the rubble in the days following the World Trade Center attacks.Photo12/Universal Images Group via Getty

Photo12/Universal Images Group via Getty

The long-term impact of working at the World Trade Center site was recognized in 2010 with theJames Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act— named after a first responder who died in 2006 of a respiratory condition that was believed to be connected to his time at Ground Zero, per theAssociated Press.

According to theU.S. Centers for Disease Control, an estimated 400,000 people were exposed to “toxic contaminants, risk of physical injury, and physically and emotionally stressful conditions in the days, weeks, and months following the attacks.”

The World Trade Center in New York City on the morning of Sept. 11.Fabina Sbina/ Hugh Zareasky/Getty

Fabina Sbina/ Hugh Zareasky/Getty

The CDC notes that responders at the site “reported a range of illnesses soon after the attacks” — including cancer, respiratory disorders, and more.

On Sept. 11, 343 firefighters died responding to the tragedy, according to theFire Department of the City of New York. Since then,more firefightershave died from illnesses related to working at the World Trade Center than died on that day.

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“Our list of heroes grows each year,” John Esposito, then-acting FDNY chief, said in September 2024. “In 2001, they knew they had a job to do, and they were selfless in their dedication. They did not think of themselves as they ran toward danger. They upheld the finest traditions of this Department—bravery, honor and call to service.”

source: people.com