A former school safety agent’s assignment
Deborah Darrisaw was a New York City Police school safety agent assigned to evacuate schools near the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. She is now an Atlanta-area resident. FOX 5 Atlanta reported that she is writing a book about overcoming fear and preserving memories, although no title or release date has been announced.
A role shaped by an earlier transfer
Darrisaw’s work took place within a school-safety division transferred from New York City’s Board of Education to the Police Department in 1998. The transfer involved more than 3,000 school-safety personnel under a memorandum of understanding signed during Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s administration, according to records from the NYC Mayor’s Office. The division now has more than 5,000 uniformed civilian School Safety Agents, according to background cited in the original article.
What she has recounted
What the health program documents
The World Trade Center Health Program provides medical monitoring and treatment for qualifying conditions related to the attacks and their aftermath, according to CDC-affiliated program researchers. Their review found that aerodigestive disorders accounted for 54% of certified World Trade Center-related conditions among members enrolled through 2020, although that population-level finding does not establish the cause of Darrisaw’s reported respiratory trauma: CDC-affiliated research. The program also serves eligible survivors who lived, worked or attended school in areas affected by the attacks and aftermath, including people who were children or students at the time, according to Spectrum News. In the same CDC-affiliated review, about half of members ever diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder still had active disorder at their last interview 11 to 13 years after exposure; that finding provides broader context but does not diagnose Darrisaw’s fears.
FOX 5 reported that Darrisaw helped move students out of schools near Ground Zero during the attacks and kept the children’s safety ahead of her own fear. In a separate 2024 FOX 5 report, she described being struck by debris during the evacuation and later receiving hospital treatment for a broken leg and respiratory trauma. Those personal details come from FOX 5’s interviews with Darrisaw, not from a new interview conducted for this article: FOX 5’s report.
Recovery and continuing health consequences
Darrisaw has worked to overcome a fear of flying and continues to manage a fear of large crowds, according to FOX 5. Her experience is part of a much larger health burden associated with the attacks and their aftermath.
As of June 30, 2026, 145,275 responders and survivors were enrolled in the World Trade Center Health Program, and 97,800 members, or 67.3%, had been certified with at least one 9/11-related health condition, according to figures reported by the American Investigator. The report also said the program certified 10,393 new cancer conditions between July 2025 and June 2026. Renew911Health.org separately reports that nearly 57,000 responders and survivors have been certified with a 9/11-related cancer: Renew911Health.org.
An unfinished personal account
Darrisaw’s story remains a recollection of helping students get home during the attacks and of living with their aftermath. The available material attributes the account’s distinctive personal details to FOX 5’s interviews; no independent firsthand interview is presented here. Her experience is also part of a documented, continuing health burden affecting people exposed to the attacks and their aftermath.
