As New York prepares to mark the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks next week, the FDNY held a dedication ceremony at its headquarters in Downtown Brooklyn, adding the names of 36 members who died in the past year from WTC-related illnesses to the FDNY World Trade Center Memorial Wall.
The FDNY World Trade Center Memorial Wall honors members who were on active duty at the time of the attacks and helped with rescue, recovery and cleanup operations in the months after the deadliest terror attack on U.S. soil, and who died from diseases linked to the toxic dust at Ground Zero.
Inscribed with the words, “Dedicated to the memory of those who bravely served this department protecting life and property in the City of New York in the rescue and recovery effort at Manhattan Box 5-5-8087 World Trade Center,” the wall now bears the names of 438 post-9/11 members.
It stands across from the World Trade Center Retired Responders Memorial Wall, which was unveiled on June 15 and bears the names of 154 FDNY personnel who were retired at the time of the 9/11 attacks but assisted in the rescue and recovery efforts and later died from 9/11-related illnesses.
Before the private reading of the names and the laying of flowers at the wall inside FDNY headquarters, family members, department personnel and officials, including Mayor Zohran Mamdani, FDNY Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore and Chief of Department John Esposito, gathered outside for the dedication ceremony. The ceremony included a rendition of “America the Beautiful” sung by FDNY Captain Antonio Quiñones and a prayer delivered by FDNY Chaplain Father Joseph Hoffman.
Mamdani noted that after the 9/11 tragedy, which killed 343 active-duty members, the FDNY had to confront another “horrific” tragedy: the thousands of first responders who have fallen ill from 9/11-related illnesses.
As the number of FDNY members who have died from WTC-related illnesses continues to rise and now exceeds the number of firefighters who died on 9/11, the FDNY released a landmark report Tuesday detailing the long-term health effects of the Sept. 11 terror attacks.
Produced by the FDNY World Trade Center Health Program, the report found that thousands of fire department personnel have become sick with illnesses such as various forms of cancer, mental health conditions, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and emphysema due to dust, chemicals and other toxins at the World Trade Center site that they were exposed to during the rescue, recovery and cleanup operations.
Since the FDNY World Trade Center Health Program began, about 16,000 FDNY members have enrolled in the program, and more than 12,000 have been certified for at least one WTC condition. A total of 4,745 FDNY members have been certified for cancer — about 26% have more than one form of cancer — and 4,496 members have been certified for a mental health condition.
“Today we know the truth of how toxic the air was at Ground Zero, and we reckon each day with the consequences of that exposure,” Mamdani said. “As we pause today to remember those that we lost, let us not simply remember. Let us renew our devotion to those who are sick. Let us renew our commitment to the families of those who have passed away, and let us renew our responsibility to ensuring that the immense sacrifice made by these 36 heroes is repaid with the same service and solidarity that defined each and every one of their lives.”
FDNY Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore noted that September has always been a month of “profound” reflection for the department, as it remembers the members who responded without hesitation and the tremendous sacrifices that followed.
“We come together today for a ceremony none of us wished would ever become a part of our calendar. Yet we gather because we have a sacred responsibility to remember those we lost, to honor their service, and to stand beside the families who carry their losses every single day,” Bonsignore said.
Among those whose names were added to the Memorial Wall were FDNY Deputy Chief James J. Riches, who died at age 74 on Nov. 27, 2025, and FDNY Captain Frederick S. Simms, who died on June 12, 2025, at age 49.
Riches’ son, FDNY Captain Thomas Riches, shared that his dad was a battalion chief on 9/11 and that his brother Jimmy was a firefighter at Engine 4. Jimmy died while responding to the North Tower and would have turned 30 on Sept. 12. His dad spent months at Ground Zero searching for Jimmy, who was found in March 2002.
The ceremony brought up a lot of raw emotions for the family, Thomas Riches said. He attended the ceremony alongside his brothers Daniel and Timmy, both retired FDNY, and their children.
“But we understand as a family that passing it on to the next generation and keeping their memory alive, and what their actions did down there that day, is what’s more important, and it’s part of never forgetting. So that’s why we’re here: making sure that the grandkids, nieces, and nephews understand what their uncle and grandfather did, and live by the motto of doing the right thing,” Riches said, who hoped that his father’s and brother’s values transcended to the next generation.
“We tell them how brave their uncle Jimmy was, how courageous they were that day, looking death in the face, and they went and did their job, and it was the greatest rescue mission that was ever attempted, and that’s what we like to to tell them that their uncle was a part of something that was bigger than himself, and he put others first, and we want them to live their lives that way, and also that my father went down, and he was looking for his son. He ultimately got sick and gave up years of his retirement for it. But it was the right thing to do, and that’s how he lived.”
Jill Simms, the widow of FDNY Captain Frederick S. Simms, commended the FDNY for its support throughout her husband’s illness and after his death.
“I could not have done it without them. Through Freddie’s entire illness, I never had to need or want for anything,” Simms said. “We are an FDNY family. I can’t express the amount of things that they helped me with and how supportive you feel, especially on an emotional day like this.”
The names of the FDNY members added to the Memorial Wall are:
- Captain Frederick S. Simms
- Firefighter Michael J. Reutter
- Captain Thomas P. Tracy
- EMS Deputy Chief David Burke
- Fire Marshal Cliff C. Krug
- EMT Michael W. Skody, Jr.
- Firefighter John G. McCann
- Firefighter Thomas del Pino
- Firefighter Timothy G. Westhall
- Firefighter Steven J. Simineri
- Firefighter Robert V. West, Jr.
- Lieutenant John J. Brown
- Firefighter Kevin T. Reilly
- Firefighter Michael A. Carter
- Deputy Chief James J. Riches
- Captain Kevin L. Roth
- Firefighter Pieter C. Grosbeck
- EMS Lieutenant James F. McGee, IV
- Firefighter Daniel G. Newman
- Firefighter William C. VanName
- Firefighter Gerard R. Lennon
- Lieutenant James A. Daly
- Firefighter Eugene P. Schramm, Jr.
- Supervising Fire Marshal Andrew F. Di Fusco
- EMS Captain David J. Fenton
- EMS Captain Jeffrey A. Armstrong
- EMS Lieutenant Jeffrey L. Halpern
- Fire Alarm Dispatcher Brian J. O’Hara
- Firefighter George Heck
- Captain Walter J. Werner
- Firefighter Thomas G. Smith
- Chief of Staff Support Services David J. Harney
- Pilot Steven W. Lukawski
- Firefighter Angel Vasquez
- Firefighter Declan A. Grant
- Fire Marshal Richard A. Ruggiero
