First Responders

This year, as we celebrate Labor Day Weekend, we should remember that the story of our community – the 9/11 community – has been defined by the contributions of labor unions and their members. That community includes the first responders who arrived within seconds of the terrorist attacks, risking and tragically losing their lives to […]

Today, we honor the extraordinary legacy of NYPD Detective Luis G. Alvarez, a 9/11 hero whose testimony persuaded Congress to establish permanent compensation benefits for 9/11 victims and their families, on the sixth anniversary of his passing. Detective Alvarez, who appeared before Congress with comedian and 9/11 advocate Jon Stewart, died only 18 days later, of colorectal cancer he […]

Today, June 11, we remember the sixth anniversary of NYPD Detective Luis Alvarez testifying in Congress, where he successfully advocated for permanent free health care and compensation benefits for 9/11 victims and their families. A 9/11 hero, Detective Alvarez appeared before Congress weakened by the colorectal cancer he developed from his exposure to Ground Zero toxins at […]

Today, May 28, 2025, is the eighth anniversary of FDNY Firefighter Raymond J. Pfeifer’s passing. He was 59 years old. A 9/11 hero and Barasch & McGarry client, Pfeifer worked tirelessly to persuade Congress to establish permanent health and compensation benefits for 9/11 community members with cancer or respiratory illness and their families. After the terrorist attacks on September […]

If you were in the 9/11 exposure zones and have been diagnosed with any of 69 cancers and many respiratory illnesses, you have the right – protected by federal law – to file a claim with the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund (VCF). The fund provides compensation for pain and suffering, as well as economic losses […]

Michael O’Connell joined the FDNY on May 5, 2001, as a Probationary Firefighter assigned to Engine 273 / Ladder 129 in Flushing. Only four months later, he deployed to Lower Manhattan on the morning of September 11, immediately after the terrorist attack on World Trade Center. For several weeks, he never went home, rotating between […]