First Responders Want Aid for 9/11 Illnesses

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/27606/

By Jack Phillips
Epoch Times Staff
1/7/2010

NEW YORK—Four years ago this day, NYPD detective James Zadroga passed away. His death was the first 9/11 responder death that was officially linked to working at ground zero in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

A commemoration for his death took place near ground zero on Tuesday. Members of the 9/11 Police Aid Foundation, the NYC Firefighter Brotherhood Foundation, and the FealGood Foundation gathered together to read approximately 100 names of 9/11 responders who have died as a result of illnesses that occurred after doing rescue and recovery operations in the rubble of the World Trade Center.

One of the main reasons for the gathering was not just for the memorial of responders who died due to the aftermath of 9/11, but to support H.R. 847, the James Zadroga Health & Compensation Act, in the the U.S. House of Representatives.

James Zadroga was 34 when he died on Jan. 5, 2006, due to respiratory problems that resulted from doing about 400 hours of work near the remains of the World Trade Center.

“Our ranks are being decimated,” said Kenny Specht, an FDNY cancer survivor, who contracted cancer as a result of doing rescue operations at ground zero. “We are worth the 30 years of comprehensive medical monitoring this bill will provide for,” he said.

“We must pass this bill,” said one of the main sponsors of the bill, Democratic Representative Carolyn Maloney. The bill is “the least we can do” to support the recovery workers at ground zero, she added.

The bill gives additional health care to people directly impacted by ground zero like recovery workers, cleanup workers, and occupants who live and work around the site. Also included in the bill is compensation for individuals affected directly by ground zero. Currently, ground zero workers have not received any compensation from the government.

“I hope we can finally pass comprehensive 9/11 health legislation before any more names are added to the list of those who died from 9/11-related illnesses,” said Rep. Maloney.

One of the most recent victims of long-term health damage, FDNY firefighter Jim Ryan, died on Christmas Day due to pancreatic cancer contracted from working at ground zero for three months, reported Firefighter Hourly.

John Feal, chair of the nonprofit FealGood Foundation, said, “We're not going to play dead. We're going to fight.” The FealGood Foundation aims to raise awareness of the health problems suffered by 9/11 first responders. “While the moral compass points south in Washington, ours is righteous. We will continue to fight,” said Feal.

“I still have to answer to my granddaughter,” said former North Arlington Police Chief Joe Zadroga. “She asks me why did he [James Zadroga] have to go? He went because he felt it was his duty,” said Zadroga, who thinks there should be a “compensation fund for civilians” who suffer from severe health problems due to ground zero work.