Tuesday, February 25, 2020

9/11 Firefighters

9/11 firefighter who found own brother in rubble dies of related illness

Two firefighters pay their respects during a commemoration ceremony for the victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks at the National September 11 MemorialImage copyrightGETTY IMAGES
Image captionOver 200 firefighters have died from illnesses related to the attack
A firefighter who helped find victims of the 11 September 2001 attack on New York City, including his own brother, has died of cancer, aged 46.
Daniel Foley's pancreatic cancer was related to the months he spent assisting with recovery efforts at Ground Zero. 
He had "miraculously" been the one to find the body of his elder brother - also a firefighter - in the rubble.
So far, 221 firefighters have died from illnesses related to the attack.
Mr Foley passed away on 22 February. The Uniformed Firefighters Association (UFA) mourned the loss, tweeting: "This is becoming a living nightmare for all of us."
Mr Foley joined the city's fire department in 1998. His brother Thomas was among the first responders to the 2001 terrorist attack that devastated the city.
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When his brother went missing in the aftermath, Mr Foley joined the rescue efforts.
Lieutenant Mickey Conboy, who worked with Mr Foley, told CBS New York: "On the first night, Danny promised his mother and father he wouldn't come home until he bought his brother home with him." 
Eleven days later, Lt Conboy said Mr Foley "miraculously" found his brother in the rubble of the World Trade Center. He could have stopped working with the rescue company that day, Lt Conboy added.
Firefighter in rubble of World Trade CenterImage copyrightGETTY IMAGES
Image captionHundreds of thousands of people were exposed to toxic materials in the rubble
"But Danny came back each day and joined the company working at the trade centre to find all the Americans that were killed that day. And he didn't stop until we all were done, on that last day in May of 2002."
Mr Foley is survived by his wife and five children.
Up to 80,000 people - including firemen, police officers, emergency workers,
contractors and cleaning staff - are believed to have rushed to the aid of victims in the aftermath of the attacks. Many were exposed to toxic debris in the air, like asbestos, lead, and pulverized concrete.
They join an estimated 400,000 people believed to have been exposed to these contaminants, or suffered injury that day, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In 2018, the president of the UFA told the BBC that roughly one in eight firefighters who were at Ground Zero had since come down with cancer.
Last year, Congress voted to extend a medical compensation fund for the first responders, volunteers and survivors that was due to expire in 2020.

6 comments:

  1. Anonymous2/25/2020

    This is off topic and apologies to those who share concern for all 9/11 victims. This one is a little closer to home and underscores an un-announced change in policy regarding criminal illegal immigrants held at the Pontiac Correctional facility. I've too much anger and disgust to take up the space in this post, but if you have a few minutes take a look through this link:
    https://capitolfax.com/2020/02/25/anger-after-pritzker-changes-policy-for-released-prisoners-facing-deportation/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

    This from the blob who bought his seat in the governors mansion.

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  2. God speed Firefighter Daniel Foley

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  3. Anonymous2/26/2020

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  4. Anonymous2/26/2020

    I'm not not sure if his cancer was from 9/11 site. My brother died of cancer at 50, he never was in new york. He was a local 399 member at board of trade
    Do we sue board of trade?

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  5. Anonymous2/26/2020

    Firefighters like to whine about everything.

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  6. Anonymous2/26/2020

    Too much down time for firefighters, always thinking about the worse circumstance.

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