25 Years After 9/11, More FDNY Members Have Died from World Trade Center Illnesses Than Were Killed That Day.

The Firefighter Cancer Support Network launches national campaign to write the first cancer screening recommendations for firefighters

WASHINGTON, Sept. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- As the country prepares to mark the 25th anniversary of September 11, 2001, the Firefighter Cancer Support Network (FCSN) has launched The Sacrifice Didn't End on 9/11, a national campaign about the occupational cancer crisis following the attacks. The FCSN is writing the first national cancer screening recommendations built specifically for firefighters to be launched in 2027.

The campaign launches amid renewed national attention to 9/11's health legacy. Former Governor George Pataki disclosed this week that he has a 9/11-related lung disease, and newly released records show officials knew the air around Ground Zero was unsafe even as they publicly assured responders and residents it was safe.

More than 400 FDNY members have died from World Trade Center-related illnesses in the 25 years since September 11, surpassing the 343 killed that day. And the death toll has not stayed at Ground Zero: cancer is now the leading cause of line-of-duty death for firefighters across the country.

"The sacrifice didn't end on September 11," said Lisa Raggio, Chief Executive Officer of the Firefighter Cancer Support Network. "Twenty-five years later, we are still counting the toll of that day — and firefighters across the country continue to walk into the same category of exposure on every fireground. The country has never had a set of cancer screening recommendations built for the job firefighters do. We are changing that."

The Scale of the Health Crisis

• On 9/11 the FDNY lost 343 firefighters who risked their lives on the front lines. In the years since, more than 400 additional FDNY members have died from World Trade Center related illnesses – a death toll that now exceeds the number of firefighters lost on the day of the attacks.
• Nearly 10,000 lives have been lost from 9/11-related illnesses in the 25 years since September 11. A staggering 5,892 first responders and people who lived and worked near Ground Zero have died from cancer caused by the toxic air, according to the September 11 Victim Compensation Fund.
• As of June 30, 2026, the World Trade Center Health Program was caring for 145,275 first responders and survivors. Over the lifetime of the program, 57,044 members have had a cancer certified as a WTC-related health condition.

The National Initiative for Firefighter Cancer Screening Recommendations

The National Initiative for Firefighter Cancer Screening Recommendations is a first-of-its-kind effort to develop evidence-based, firefighter-specific cancer screening recommendations designed to improve early detection and save lives.

Research has long shown firefighters face significantly higher cancer risks from repeated occupational exposure. Yet no national cancer screening recommendations have ever been built for the fire service, existing ones are designed for the general population.

Led by FCSN, the national initiative brings together leading experts in oncology, occupational medicine, epidemiology, firefighter health, and the fire service to develop scientifically rigorous recommendations that can ultimately improve cancer detection, survivorship, and long-term firefighter health.

Following completion of the scientific review and consensus development process, FCSN plans to begin rolling out the National Firefighter Cancer Screening Recommendations in 2027.

"Our role is to be the catalyst," said Russ Osgood, Chief Education Officer at FCSN. "We aim to bring the science, the medicine, and the fire service to the same table, and to build cancer screening recommendations that are rigorous, practical, and worthy of the people they're meant to protect."

"We wear our PPE to protect ourselves on the fireground," said Kevin D. Quinn, retired Deputy Chief in his 51st year in the fire service, who had three cancers found at a free screening in April 2025 and removed with clear margins in January 2026. "Annual cancer screenings are the PPE that protect us after we have signed back into quarters."

The Campaign

The Sacrifice Didn't End on 9/11 runs through all of September. Because for firefighters, the health legacy of that day is not a single anniversary. It is an ongoing crisis, and one FCSN is working to address. FCSN leadership, fire service cancer survivors, and 9/11 responders are available for interviews throughout the month.

You can view their stories at thesacrificecontinues.com.

About the Firefighter Cancer Support Network

Founded with passion in 2005 by Los Angeles County Firefighter/Paramedic Michael Dubron, a survivor of stage IV colon cancer, the Firefighter Cancer Support Network supports firefighters and EMS providers — career or volunteer, active or retired — and their families throughout the cancer journey, while working nationally to increase cancer awareness, advance prevention and early detection, and improve outcomes across the fire service. FCSN is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and its cancer awareness and prevention education program is award-winning.

Learn more: thesacrificecontinues.com • firefightercancersupport.org
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SOURCE Firefighter Cancer Support Network