NEW YORK CITY (WPIX) – – It's a number that nobody wanted to see repeated, but 343, the number of
New York City firemens who lost their lives on 9/11, is now the number of FDNY staff members who have lost their lives from health problems connected to that eventful day and its consequences.
The FDNY commissioner and union leaders alike said that number will only grow with time, which is why they likewise stated it's essential that resources to care for very first responders from 9/11 stay completely moneyed.
At a late morning press conference at his headquarters, Uniformed Firefighters Association of Greater
New York (UFA) President Andrew Ansbro signed up with the leader of the city's other major firefighters' union, Jim Brosi of the Uniformed Fire Officers Association (UFOA), to mark the milestone.
They stated the circumstance is terrible for their union members in general, however it feels even more heartbreaking for the families of the just recently left.
" His life and his retirement was cut short," Ansbro said about Firefighter Robert Fulco, 73, who passed away over the weekend. He ended up being the 343rd FDNY worker to die from 9/11-related health problems.
His death came days after that of Hilda Vannata, 67, an FDNY EMT who also struggled with a 9/11 disease.
" We have actually long understood this day was coming, yet its reality is impressive simply the same," FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh stated in a statement over the weekend.
" 343 of our heroes lost in one day, and today, 343 more," the statement continued. "The FDNY will never ever forget them.
Vannata and Fulco become part of what Ansbro referred to as a lengthening list of people getting ill in the 2 years since the Sept. 11 attacks.
" There's an entire whole host of cancers and lung health problems that affect our members," Ansbro said. "The number of diseases keeps growing, and the variety of individuals affected keeps growing."
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It's why he and Brosi stated the need is greater than ever to promote for thousands of individuals who were in Lower Manhattan in the weeks and months after 9/11.
Presently, they stated, more than 3,000 existing or former FDNY employees have some kind of cancer. About 8,000 more have some other illness associated to their operate in Lower Manhattan after the fear attacks.
Now, the federal 9/11 victims' health and payment programs are fully funded, the union presidents said, but they added that the programs need to be regularly refunded by Congress.
The requirement, moving forward, much like the variety of people getting sick, will increase. That truth, stated Brosi, has him and other supporters concerned, relative to another fact.
" We requested over $2 billion last year," he stated about his union's lobbying for funding in Congress, "and we got $600 million."
He added that Congress needs to make a higher effort in the years ahead to offer support at the rates requested.
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