On September 11, 2001, 343 firefighters from the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) died during the attacks on the World Trade Center. This number is the official count of FDNY members who were killed that day. However, there is mention of a 344th firefighter, Keith Roma of the New York Fire Patrol, who is not officially counted among the FDNY fatalities but died heroically on 9/11. In the years since the attacks, more than 400 additional firefighters have died from illnesses related to their rescue and recovery work at Ground Zero. These 9/11-related illnesses have caused the total number of firefighter deaths connected to 9/11 to surpass the initial 343 who died that day. So, the total firefighter deaths directly on 9/11 was 343 (officially), but including related deaths from illness, the number has increased by more than 400 over the years following the attacks.
