On September 11, 2001, terrorists used hijacked airplanes as weapons to attack the United States. Two planes hit the World Trade Center towers in New York City. One plane flew into the side of the Pentagon. A fourth plane crashed in a Pennsylvania field after passengers stormed the cockpit. Nearly 3,000 people died in the attack.
In the aftermath, thousands of first responders converged on the sites of destruction, climbing through mountains of smoking debris and rubble in a race to find survivors. Ultimately, 8 EMS providers and 343 firefighters died that day and countless more have succumbed to 9/11-related illnesses from their time working at Ground Zero.
Read the stories of survivors, as well as how lessons learned are impacting the way first responders of today train and respond to incidents. To share your 9/11 story, email editor@ems1.com.
A FF/paramedic captain recounts hunkering down with victims at the Pentagon on 9/11 while expecting another attack
Even as time and distance separate us from 9/11 and memories begin to fade, the NFFF remains committed to Never Forget fallen firefighters and their families
Benjamin Franklin Jones became a paramedic after a 40-year career with Monarch Life
Retired firefighter Ray Pfeifer fought for the extension of the Zadroga Act
The collection includes 200 oral histories and more than 1,000 photographs, manuscript materials, logbooks and indexes
The Zadroga Act extension was included in Congress’ year-end spending bill that was passed on Friday
The bill would extend federal health monitoring and treatment for 9/11 first responders through 2090
Commissioner William Bratton pushed Congress to renew the Zadroga Act, which expired this fall
Providing for injured responders shows that we stand behind our homeland defenders when the going gets tough
Only one of the four panelists from December 2010 Daily Show is healthy enough to reappear on the show
The Comedian continues his advocacy to renew a law that provides health benefits for first responders who became ill after the Sept. 11 terror attacks
Those using the Zadroga Act as a political bargaining chip need to be called to task for their actions
The World Trade Center Health Program, which provides health monitoring and treatment for first responders, expired this fall but has enough funding to operate into next year
The Zadroga Act expired this fall and supporters are hoping to get the extension passed before Congress leaves for the holidays
The health care fund aids first responders who rushed to the World Trade Center after the attacks and now have illnesses such as pulmonary disease and cancer
The video shows sons and daughters explaining what they have learned from their first-hand experience with terror
FDNY EMT Luis de Pena Jr. died in November of 2013 due to an illness related to his work on Ground Zero
Responders are asking for permanent extension of the act that covers medical expenses for those exposed to toxic substances at ground zero
The attempt of game developers to simulate an office worker’s experience on the 101st floor of the WTC North Tower is offensive
Developers say the controversial experience showing a World Trade Center worker’s perspective, called “08:46", is a “tribute to the victims”
Kevin Kelly, 55, struggled with PTSD and respiratory illnesses since his 9/11 response
The Zadroga Act expired Wednesday and the program will have to start shutting down by next summer
‘I’m embarrassed that you, after serving so selflessly with such heroism have to come down here and convince people to do what’s right’
View artistic tributes and 9/11 remembrances at EMS agencies, fire departments and police departments across the U.S.
Responders working for private ambulance crews or rescue squads can’t get benefit because they weren’t employed by the FDNY
A Florida man who posed online as an Australia resident tried to help plan the attack by providing details on how to build a bomb with a pressure cooker and rat poison
Carrying photos emblazoned with the names of their loved ones, victims’ relatives praised first responders, thanked the armed forces and hoped for peace and security
The most profound loss on that fateful day in 2001 was the loss of family
The federal 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund awarded $1.4B in compensations to date
Lawmakers called on Congress to prevent expiration of the James Zadroga Sept. 11 Health and Compensation Act, which is set to expire next year
