BLANDFORD – Adam Dolby, chair of the Blandford Select Board and volunteer firefighter for the town, was becoming increasingly frustrated about the lack of support for first responders to Ground Zero who are still suffering from the exposure to the toxic environment at the site. According to Dolby, more than 14,000 first responders have died since 9/11 as a direct result of illnesses caused by the toxic environment, and 19,000 more are sick or dying.
Dolby said his frustration is based in part on the government failing to reauthorize The Zadroga Act.
The Zadroga Act, which was signed into law by President Obama in early 2011, established the World Trade Center Health Program, and is meant to monitor and provide services to the first responders and survivors of the 9/11 attacks, no matter where they currently live in the U.S. A recent attempt to reauthorize and permanently fund the Act failed in Congress, and it is set to run out of funds in early 2016.
Monday, Jon Stewart returned to The Daily Show in support of renewal of the Act.
Also on Monday, Adam Dolby brought a resolution he has written to the Blandford Select Board in support of renewal of the Act. The resolution reads:
Resolution of Support for the Permanent Funding of the Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act
WHEREAS, the Town of Blandford is located within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts; and
WHEREAS, the Town of Blandford has a Volunteer Fire Department; and
WHEREAS, the Blandford Fire Department has a long history of responding to mutual aid events; and
WHEREAS, on September 11, 2001, there was a large scale disaster in New York City, NY; and
WHEREAS, the scope and scale of this event was unprecedented and required the mutual aid from thousands of departments across the country involving tens of thousands of emergency responders; and
WHEREAS, the environment, at what would become known as Ground Zero, was not initially determined to highly toxic; and
WHEREAS, later air quality analysis determined that the environment at Ground Zero was highly toxic; and
WHEREAS, since 9/11/01, roughly 1,400 first responders have died as a direct result of illnesses caused by the toxic environment encountered in and around Ground Zero; and
WHEREAS, an additional 19,000 first responders are now sick or dying due to that same toxic environment; and
WHEREAS, the Congress of the United States passed, in 2010, an initial funding of the Zadroga Act that was insufficient to permanently fund the Act and did not account for the massive numbers of those in need; and
WHEREAS, current funding for the Zadroga Act is insufficient and due to expire in the coming months; and
WHEREAS, the Zadroga Act and accompanying Victims’ Compensation Fund are requesting a total of $13B ($8B and $5B, respectively); and
WHEREAS, the annual budget of the United States Government is $3.8T; and
WHEREAS, the total requested funding for the Zadroga Act and Compensation Fund equates to 1/3 of 1% (.3%) of the total federal budget; and
WHEREAS, each anniversary of the events of 9/11/01 are marked with solemn promises to “never forget” and moments of silence, observances, and ceremony;
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Selectboard of the Town of Blandford, Massachusetts
1. Requests the Congress of the United States to finally and completely fulfill their repeated pledges to “never forget” the events of 9/11 and the sacrifices of the men and women who responded to Ground Zero and fully fund the Zadroga Act and the 9/11 Victims’ Compensation Funds; and
2. Urges the other municipalities of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and, indeed, the other United States to raise their collective voices to compel their local representatives to vote on fully funding the same; and
3. Urges residents to contact their State and Federal representatives to compel the same; and
4. Formally and solemnly acknowledges and appreciates the sacrifices, both past and present, of those who responded when New York City, the State of New York, and the United States was in deepest need of their assistance.
“We’re going to send it around to some of our representatives, and some of our neighboring communities,” Dolby said. “Our hope is that other communities will pick it up.”
“So many people talk about never forgetting on 9/11,” he said. “It’s just remarkable that people don’t stop and think about the fact that there are 19,000 people with illnesses related to it.”
“Hopefully, we can get folks fired up about this,” Dolby said.
