Three triplet brothers from Brooklyn are stepping into the same firehouse doors their father once walked through, determined to carry his legacy forward even after 9/11-related cancer took his life. Raymond Gormley now works at FDNY Ladder 174 — the same firehouse where his father, William Gormley, once served — while his brother Billy is an EMT with the department and may join the Fire Academy as soon as this month, and their brother Kevin has applied to become a firefighter and could join the academy on the same timeline.
According to ABC7 New York, the brothers were just 3 years old when their father responded to the September 11 terrorist attacks, rushing to the Twin Towers after they were struck and working at Ground Zero for months afterward, searching for survivors and the remains of victims. The brothers do not remember what happened that day because they were so young, and they did not lose their father on September 11, 2001 itself — he died in 2017 after bladder and lung cancer tied to his toxic dust exposure at Ground Zero.
William Gormley had served in the U.S. Marine Corps before joining the FDNY in 1988, spending 18 years of his career at Ladder Company 174 in East Flatbush, Brooklyn, until his retirement in 2006, according to the Voices Center for Resilience. He was diagnosed with bladder cancer in 2016, according to the ABC7 report, and died of bladder and lung cancer the following year. He was among more than 400 fire and EMS workers who have died from 9/11-related illnesses, the outlet's report notes.
A Father's Advice, and a Street That Bears His Name
The brothers accompanied their father to numerous doctors' appointments as his health declined, and along the way he tried to steer them away from following him into the firehouse. Per the same ABC7 account, William Gormley advised his sons to work with their brains rather than their hands, and pushed them instead toward desk jobs rather than the fire service.
His sons went a different direction anyway. Raymond Gormley said his father's service made him feel pride, and he now works at the very firehouse his father once called home. Kevin Gormley said his father taught the brothers that they would always have each other, a lesson Raymond echoed in saying he and his brothers share both trauma and upbringing that helped bond them. The Gormley siblings say those shared experiences helped them navigate their father's loss, and they say they were inspired both by their father and by the support of firefighters after his death.
That community recognition of William Gormley extends beyond the firehouse. In October 2018, New York City officials co-named a stretch of Flatlands Avenue in Brooklyn, from Flatbush Avenue to Avenue M, as Firefighter William J. Gormley Way, honoring his military and FDNY service, according to The Brooklyn Home Reporter. The sign was unveiled roughly sixteen months after his death.
A Sister's Advocacy, and Civil Service Credit for the Next Generation
The Gormley siblings' work in public service extends beyond the firehouse floor. Their sister, Bridget Gormley, produced the documentary Dust: The Lingering Legacy of 9/11, which documents the dangers of toxic dust exposure, and she now works with 9/11 survivors. The National September 11 Memorial & Museum notes she became an outreach manager advocating for 9/11 health compensation, building on the film she executive-produced alongside actor and former FDNY firefighter Steve Buscemi.
As children of a firefighter who died from Ground Zero-related illness, the Gormley brothers also benefited from a concrete civil service framework. Under New York Civil Service Law, children and siblings of FDNY firefighters, NYPD officers, and EMTs who died as a result of participating in Ground Zero rescue operations are eligible for 10 additional Legacy Credit bonus points on competitive entrance examinations, according to the NYC Department of Citywide Administrative Services. Those legacy points apply to initial civil service entrance exams across the city's public safety agencies.
A Health Crisis That Now Outpaces the Day Itself
The Gormley family's story sits inside a much larger and still-growing toll. An FDNY report published this month found that more than 10,000 active and retired department members are currently living with at least one 9/11-related illness, and over 600 members have died from World Trade Center-related conditions in the 25 years since the attacks, according to FOX 5 New York. The same report found that early detection through the World Trade Center Health Program keeps 86% of diagnosed cancer patients alive five years after diagnosis.
As of this month, 4,257 FDNY members enrolled in that health program have been diagnosed with cancer, with 26% of those diagnosed suffering from more than one form of cancer — a statistic that aligns with William Gormley's own dual diagnosis of bladder and lung cancer. FOX 5's reporting adds that over 461 FDNY members received new cancer certifications in the preceding year alone.
Cumulative FDNY deaths attributed to post-9/11 toxic exposure illnesses have surpassed 400 members, according to the International Fire & Safety Journal. The growing toll has prompted national campaigns for specialized firefighter cancer screening protocols, the journal reported. Separately, the article places the discussion of toxic-exposure illness in the broader context of office workers, residents, students, and emergency personnel.
Continued Legislative and Memorial Efforts
The Gormley family's ordeal has unfolded alongside continued state action on responder benefits. This week, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed three state bills extending benefit application and notice deadlines to 2030 for 9/11 responders and their surviving family members, days before key statutory filing deadlines were set to expire, Hoodline reported.
William Gormley's name is also part of a physical, growing tribute at FDNY headquarters. The FDNY World Trade Center Memorial Wall at Engine Company 10 in lower Manhattan lists 438 members who died from post-9/11 illnesses, as Hoodline detailed in its earlier piece on the growing wall of honor. A Brooklyn ceremony has added new retiree names to the wall.
For the Gormley brothers, the path forward now runs through the same department that both defined and ultimately cost their father his health. Raymond Gormley continues his work at Ladder 174, Billy Gormley serves as an EMT while eyeing the Fire Academy, and Kevin Gormley awaits word on his own application — each one carrying forward, in his own way, the service their father began decades earlier.
