FDNY’s devastating 9/11 toll continues 25 years after the attacks — as WTC-related illnesses plague members

The Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks are still exacting a devastating toll on the FDNY, with more members now dead from World Trade Center-related illnesses than perished on that day itself, advocates said Wednesday.

Uniformed Firefighters Association President Bobby Eustace, surrounded by fellow members, speaks on Wednesday, September 9, 2026. Eustace discussed the latest state of health of FDNY firefighters involved with the 9/11 attacks and the following cleanup of the WTC site. Matthew McDermott for NY Post

Fire department union leaders and supporters gathered to mark the recent release of 170,000 documents about air quality and the aftermath of 9/11 – and to highlight that dark day’s lingering impact 25 years later.

Firefighters on Tuesday buried the 453rd FDNY member to die of a 9/11-related illness, surpassing the 343 members who made the ultimate sacrifice on the day itself, said Robert Eustace, president of the FDNY Uniformed Firefighters Association.

“For the FDNY, Sept. 11 did not end on Sept. 11,” he said.

A newly found photo of the World Trade Center attacks, their destruction, and the aftermath of the day is shown on Monday, September 5, 2011. Matthew McDermott for NY Post

“There are firefighters who cannot make it up the stairs without losing their breath,” he said.

“It’s a member who sits with chemotherapy. It’s a widow who has to explain to her children that their father is  not coming home. The retiree who survived 9/11 only to find out, years later, that the dust he breathed in is still killing him,” Eustace said. “That’s why today matters.”