Rescue and Recovery Workers

This dedicated space honors the ongoing sacrifice of rescue, recovery, and relief workers, and the survivors and members of the broader lower Manhattan community, who are sick or have died from exposure to hazards and toxins in the aftermath of 9/11. 

On May 30, 2002, the Last Column, draped in the American flag, was removed from Ground Zero in an honor guard procession to mark the end of the nine-month rescue, recovery, and relief efforts at the World Trade Center site. 

Each year, we commemorate the  May 30 anniversary  with a ceremony on the Memorial plaza, where we honor the courage and sacrifice of 9/11 rescue, recovery, and relief workers, commemorate those who have died due to 9/11-related illnesses, and recognize the spirit of survivors and members of the downtown community with a special ceremony. We also mark this anniversary with a series of programs and events.  

If you are a rescue and recovery worker or a family member of a rescue and recovery worker who died from a 9/11-related illness and would like to receive updates from the 9/11 Memorial & Museum regarding news and events related to this community, please complete this form.

On May 30, 2022, we commemorated the 20th anniversary of the end to formal rescue and recovery operations at Ground Zero. Leading up to that milestone, we began an ongoing project compiling short Q&As with members of this community, from city agency workers who spent months on the pile to civilian volunteers, lower Manhattan residents, and everyone in between. Through these interviews, we strive to represent the diversity and scope of the unprecedented efforts at the site of the attacks and the unending impact that has touched thousands of families and individuals. More Q&As will be added regularly going forward. 

Hundreds of thousands of people in New York City, at the Pentagon, and at the crash site in Shanksville, PA were exposed to dust, debris, and traumatic events, and physically and emotionally stressful conditions on and after September 11, 2001. Over time, the WTC Health Program was created to provide medical monitoring and treatment for WTC-related health conditions. Use the button below for more information about the WTC Health Program and the advocacy efforts that led to its creation. 

Above: After responding to the World Trade Center on the morning of 9/11, paramedic Freddie Noboa aided in the rescue and recovery for more than two weeks. Within a year, his health began a steep decline. By 2008, Noboa believed he had "transformed from a healthy man to an old man," taking 23 different medications at any given time. Noboa created this protest sign filled with empty prescription bottles and used it while advocating at public rallies for the passage of the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act. 

To learn more about the scope of the Museum’s permanent collection, please visit  Inside the Collection, an online catalog with a searchable database of select objects. The database is continually growing to bring more of the Museum’s rich holdings to a wider audience.  

Above: Brian Smith, an FDNY Battalion 31 Emergency Medical Specialist, was finishing a shift at his unit’s firehouse in Brooklyn on the morning of 9/11. As he left the station, he witnessed hijacked Flight 11 hit the North Tower. Smith deployed the site to help establish a triage center, and survived the collapse of both towers. Smith served at Ground Zero during the recovery period searching for the remains of victims, including his father, FDNY Hazmat Company 1 Firefighter Kevin Joseph Smith. 

The Museum is actively accepting donations to the permanent collection. If you have objects, documents, or images of a historical or commemorative nature, or a story to share that you believe might be of interest to the Museum, please tell us about them by using the link below.  

The 9/11 Memorial Museum's Foundation Hall is home to artifacts and objects like the Last Column that speak to the resiliency and courage of this community.  

Foundation Hall is also home to the installation “Dust: Illness and Advocacy After 9/11,” which explores the effects of the toxic dust that blanketed city streets and coated the insides of homes, businesses, and schools after the attacks. It also highlights the years-long lobbying efforts of 9/11 advocates who came together to secure congressional funding for immediate and long-term medical monitoring, as well as research and treatment programs.