9/11 volunteer workers

December 5 is International Volunteer Day. The search-and-rescue, recovery, and support teams at Ground Zero on and after 9/11 included thousands of volunteers from every part of the United States. Among the volunteers were retired or visiting first responders, members of the Red Cross and Salvation Army, religious organizations, and many individual Americans who wanted […]

An upcoming deadline approaches for volunteer 9/11 first responders and recovery workers who worked in Lower Manhattan on 9/11 and in the weeks and months that followed.  Thousands of volunteers supported the search-and-rescue and recovery operations at Ground Zero, the Fresh Kills Landfill, barges between Lower Manhattan and the landfill, and the New York City […]

Though she wasn’t a firefighter, police officer or EMT, Marya Columbia described herself as a “responder” when applying for the World Trade Center Health Program. She qualified for benefits as a survivor because her Lower Manhattan apartment was in the designated exposure zone. However, that classification does not begin to describe Ms. Columbia’s contribution to […]

After years of worry that the federal 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund might expire, New Yorkers and people from around the country celebrated the law that authorized its extension through the year 2090. The new law and its updated, strengthened provisions would not have come without the efforts of many dedicated advocates, some of whom are […]

In June, a state court of appeals overturned a decision by the Workers’ Compensation Board that denied injury compensation to certain 9/11 volunteer workers. In September 2001, Jaime Hazan, now 43, was an emergency medical technician. After the terrorist attacks on September 11, Mr. Hazan volunteered at a triage area at Chelsea Piers. The following […]