First Responders – Our Literary Heroes Come to Life

Today marks the 21st anniversary of the 911 terrorist attack.  Many people still clearly recall where they were and what they were doing at the exact moment they first learned about the attack.   For the days and weeks that followed, the public watched with admiration the courage, selflessness, and unbreakable commitment of the 9/11 first responders. They were and still are our heroes.

The attacks of September 11, 2001, killed 2,996 people throughout Pennsylvania, Washington D.C, and the World Trade Center.   Of those souls, 343 were NYFD firefighters, paramedics, and EMTs. Another 37 people belonged to the Port Authority Police Department (PAPD), and 23 to the New York Police Department (NYPD). The PAPD and NYPD suffered the greatest loss of life of any police force in history.

The World Trade Center hosted over 50,000 workers.  Thousands of guests passed through the complex daily. While thousands of civilians were injured, many more would have lost their lives had it not been for the first responders, training, bravery, and professionalism.

In the days and weeks that followed, NY’s first responders, including many volunteers, worked franticly side by side” with construction workers, and search-and-rescue dogs looking for survivors. The work at “Ground Zero was so dangerous that workers and volunteers wrote identifying information on their bodies in case they were crushed or fell into the debris. Fires continued to burn for 99 days following the attack.

Residents of New York City and North Jersey still recall the distinct smell of the air coming from the remnants of the incinerated buildings.  For many of those rescue workers, 9/11 continues to haunt them as they suffer the daily side effects of breathing that toxic air.  Many first responders began to suffer the effects of the polluted air while digging through the rubble while clearing Ground Zero: it wasn’t long before the respiratory issues associated with 9/11 were dubbed the “WTC cough.”

Garry Salomon, managing partner of the North Jersey personal injury law firm Davis, Saperstein & Salomon, P.C. understands this well because most of their injured clients benefited from the police that arrived at their crash scene, the firefighters that extricated them from the wreck, and the EMTs and ambulance workers that rushed them to the hospital. “In the past, I’ve associated 9/11 with terror and loss, but now I see 9/11 as a testament to the heroics and bravery of the First Responders.  Many of the responders were not only New Yorkers but were volunteers traveling from all over the world.  We honor them today, as well as on “National First Responders Day” which is October 28th” every year,” said Salomon.  He further commented, “if it were not for their training, professionalism, and bravery many of our injured clients would have suffered far worse pain and injury.  These responders, many of them anonymous volunteers, do this not for recognition or attention.  To them, they were just doing their job.  Helping people.”

To thank local first responders, Davis, Saperstein & Salomon, P.C. on behalf of the firm’s clients, is catering a kosher lunch from Ma’adan on September 11, 2022, for the volunteers and workers at the Teaneck Ambulance Corp.  The lawyers, staff, and clients of Davis, Saperstein & Salomon, P.C. express their gratitude, respect, and appreciation to all first responders.  They truly are angels touching people’s lives and making a difference every day.