“Six members of my class actually died before they even graduated,” said Michael Schreiber, who had not yet graduated as a firefighter when he was called to respond to the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attack almost 23 years ago.
“I was injured that day so I only spent one day there. That’s sort of a blessing for me because we lost 343 members that day and we’ve lost 370 since then,” he said.
He is one of 40 New York firefighters taking part in a cycle from the US Ambassador’s residence in Phoenix Park to Cork in aid of two charities – Friends of Firefighters of New York and Aoibheann’s Pink Tie.
“This will be the first time that I won’t be at Ground Zero on 9/11 but I can’t think of a better place to be if I’m not going to be there,” he said.
Mr Schreiber, who is now the health and safety officer of the Uniformed Firefighters Association (UFA) in New York dislocated his knee while trying to escape from the collapse of Building 7 in 2001.
“Communication was non-existent, we didn’t even know 7 was on fire because you couldn’t see it from where we were,” he said, adding: “We thought it was another plane.”
“Obviously, everybody knows about that day, but in the days since then, our members have suffered from a variety of mental health issues,” he said.
Nancy Carbone, who founded Friends of Firefighters in the immediate aftermath of the attack said the core of New York’s Fire Department “has always been Irish”, adding that this year’s memorial and charity fundraiser is like “coming home”.
Although the non-profit started as a practical helping hand, it began to provide counselling and support to active and retired firefighters.
While counselling uptake began with a “trickle” in the decade that followed, she estimates 5,000 sessions will be provided in 2024.
All firefighters remain affected by 9/11 both mentally and physically, she said, with members continuing to lose colleagues to this day.
“We are losing an average of four firefighters a month to 9/11 cancer,” she said.
Exposure to dust, smoke and chemicals almost 23 years ago has resulted in a wide range and high prevalence of cancers and other illnesses among first responders, she said.
“I’ve had so many firefighters come in and say: ‘The guys to the left of me are dead and the guys to right of me are dead, when is my turn?’ so that’s a hard thing to live with,” she said.
The 40 US firefighters will be cycling alongside Irish firefighters through Wicklow, Wexford, Waterford and east Cork before finishing at a garden of remembrance in Ringfinnan, Kinsale for a memorial on the 23rd anniversary of 9/11.
The garden, which was established by Kathleen Murphy who worked as a nurse in Manhattan for 40 years, commemorates the 343 Firefighters and their chaplain Fr Michael Judge who died in the attack.
“Most of these guys have Irish connections and now they’re getting a chance to cycle in the home of their ancestors, it’s going to be emotional,” said Steve McFadden, chair of the National Retained Firefighters Association of Ireland who organised the cycle.
Alongside the Friends of Firefighters, funds raised will be donated to Aoibheann’s Pink Tie, a national children’s cancer charity cofounded by Jimmy Norman and named after his daughter who died at the age of eight.
The charity provides practical support and accommodation to families who have children receiving cancer treatment in St John’s Ward in Our Lady’s Hospital in Crumlin.
“We started with the NRFA about six years ago and I’d say to date they’ve probably raised over €400,000 for Aoibheann’s Pink Tie,” he said.
