Victims and advocates are calling on Congress to pass legislation to help ensure funding to care for first responders and survivors of 9/11. Retired FDNY firefighter Rob Serra discusses his fight for expanded health coverage and reflects on 9/11.

New York

Retired firefighter Bob Serra, vice president of the Ray Pfeiffer Foundation, is calling on Congress to provide additional funding for the 9/11 health program, which supports first responders and survivors suffering from illnesses linked to the World Trade Center attacks. Serra notes that more than 400 FDNY members have now died from 9/11-related illnesses, surpassing the number killed in the attacks, and that over 48,000 people in the program have cancer.

Serra and other advocates warn that without increased funding before 2027, the program may have to stop enrolling new participants, leaving future victims without support. He emphasizes the importance of honoring the sacrifices made by first responders by ensuring ongoing care for those still affected by the aftermath of 9/11.

Retired firefighter fights to expand 9/11-related illness coverage

Meanwhile, victims and advocates are calling on Congress to pass legislation to help ensure funding to care for first responders and survivors of 9-11. 39 names have been added to the World Trade Center Memorial Wall. Those wall honors, those who died related to their work in the rescue and recovery efforts at Ground Zero. Let me remind you, more than 400 FDNY members have now died of 9-11 related illnesses, surpassing the 343 people who were killed in the attacks. So let's keep this conversation going. I want to bring in retired firefighter Bob Serra. He is an advocate for 9-11 first responders and survivors. He's also the vice president of the Ray Pfeiffer Foundation. Rob, before we talk about what happened to you on 9-11, I think for a lot of people there will be shock and amazement that 24 years after that horrific day that we have not been able to pass successful, meaningful legislation to help people with these recurring injuries, these recurring health ailments that they've had because of their service at Ground Zero. And I know that there's been some, and I know that there have been advocates like yourself, like Jon Stewart and others, who have advocated for that, but it just is surprising to me that everybody is still—the people who have suffered and have continued to suffer since that day are not given the attention. There are memorials to them. There are news reports. But the care and the money that they need to get well or to at least ease their suffering isn't there. Yeah, well, I think the old political saying comes into play here, never let a good tragedy go to waste, which is why I believe we just constantly get these four- or five-year bills that just keep kicking the can down the road and force us to keep going back down there every few years to fight for more funding. We were just there this week. We've been down there over a dozen times already this year to fill in the financial shortfalls in the 9-11 health program. Unfortunately, when the bill was projected 10 years ago, they didn't anticipate the cancer rates that we have today. We have over 48,000 people in the program with cancer. So that, on top of medical inflation and everything else going on in the country, there's just not enough money to keep the program running as it is right now. So we're looking to get additional funding before 2027. Otherwise, they're going to have to stop enrolling new enrollees, which will be a problem for anybody going forward that comes down with one of these 69 different cancers that we have now. Yeah, and we just showed statistics about the percentage increase in the number of people with illnesses that have now—unbelievable. That was the first time I saw that statistic, Rob, that the 9-11 illnesses-related deaths have surpassed the number of first responders killed on the day of the attack. And there's this 143 percent surge in 9-11-link cancers. And you had just finished your training, Rob, the day before 9-11, and Ground Zero was the very first fire that you worked. You also lost your father-in-law in the attacks. What do you want people to remember about that day on this day? Especially in light of everything else going on in our country, I would like people to remember how we rallied. You know, I always said I witnessed the worst in humanity that day, but I also witnessed the best. I saw people do things that I couldn't imagine just for the sake of helping others. So like you said, it was my first fire. I wasn't the most experienced person there. I was just basically trying to help however I could. But all these other people that ran there and jumped in and did these jobs without being told need to be appreciated and remembered. And that's what we told the members of Congress this week, that, you know, I'm sure today if you go on their social media pages, you're going to see hashtag Never Forget and pictures with first responders. So we just want to put some meaning behind those words. You know, when we say Never Forget and you really want to appreciate the actions of those heroes that day, I think the best way to do that would be to take care of those that are still here and that are struggling and fighting with all these illnesses. You know, there's 48,000 people with cancer, but many of them have multiple different cancers and they're aggressive and they're tearing their families apart. So if we want to honor those people, I think the best way to do that would be to take care of those that remain. Couldn't agree with you more. And you yourself have been battling some health ailments. Hope you're doing OK, Rob, and thank you for your service. We appreciate you. And thank you for spending some time with us this morning. Rob Serra, we appreciate it. Thank you.

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