Harlem Firefighter Is The 200th To Die From 9/11-Related Illness

EAST HARLEM, NY — A firefighter who served at an East Harlem's Engine 91 became the 200th member of the FDNY to die of 9/11-related illness, city fire officials said.

Richard Driscoll served the FDNY for 32 years, responding to the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2011 and retiring in 2002 from Engine 91 on East 111th Street and Second Avenue. In the days following the deadly attack at the World Trade Center, Driscoll "worked tirelessly" in recovery efforts at the site, fire officials said.

"It is almost incomprehensible that after losing 343 members on September 11, we have now had 200 more FDNY members die due to World Trade Center illness. These heroes gave their lives bravely fighting to rescue and recover others. We will never forget them," FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro said in a statement.

Driscoll was cited for bravery five times during his career in the FDNY, and had served in the Vietnam War before joining the department, fire officials said.

Lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives voted 02-12 to approve the Never Forget the Heroes Act, which would preserve the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund for seven more decades, but the bill was blocked in the Senate by Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky.

Paul's move drew criticism from New York politicians on both sides of the aisle.

The bill, sponsored by Democrat Rep. Carolyn Maloney, would keep the Victim Compensation Fund running through the 2090 fiscal year, giving victims and their families until October 2089 to file claims. The fund is currently slated to expire in 2020. The measure would also make claimants whole if their payments were reduced because of insufficient funding.

Read more about the bill here.