Retired State Trooper Dies from 9/11 Related Illness
A sample of the dust first responders and residents were exposed to around the collapse of the World Trade Center ( Courtesy of World Trade Center Health Program)
A retired New York State Trooper from Saratoga Springs has died from a 9/11 related illness.
Retired Sergeant Frederick Scheidt died on Aug. 13 at the age of 67 of cancer, according to his obituary.
Originally from Greenwich, Connecticut, Scheidt joined the State Police in 1979 and served for 30 years, eventually settling in the Saratoga Springs area and retiring in 2009. He is survived by his wife, son and two grandchildren.
Scheidt is one of 34 State Troopers to die from illnesses related to 9/11, according to the New York State Trooper Police Benevolent Association. This number makes it the second most common type of line of duty death experienced by Troopers since the agency’s founding in 1917 and the most common line of duty death in the nearly 24 years since the attacks. Scheidt is the fourth Trooper from Saratoga County to die from illnesses related to the attacks.
The attacks on Sept. 11 represented the single deadliest day in US history for both law enforcement and fire personnel. 72 law enforcement officers were killed in the attacks, the majority coming from the NYPD which lost 23 members and the Port Authority Police which lost 37. In addition, four members of the New York State Office of Tax Enforcement, three members of the New York State Office of Court Administration, one fire Marshall, one member of the FBI, one member of the Secret Service, one member of the New York Fire Patrol and one member of the EPA were all killed in the attacks.
On the fire department side, 343 members of the FDNY were killed along with six on-duty EMS providers and two volunteer EMTs who responded to the disaster on their own.
In the years since, however, the number of first responder deaths from 9/11 related illnesses have surpassed those from the attacks. In addition to the 34 State Troopers, NYPD lists over 370 officers who’ve died as a result of illness, the FBI lists 29 agents who died and the FDNY has lost over 360 members.
The losses are due to the toxic debris first responders and residents were exposed to while working and living near the site of the attack. According to the CDC’s World Trade Center Health Program, the attacks exposed people to over 300 chemical hazards, 14 physical hazards and 26 hazards that could result in mental health issues down the road. Of the 400,000 potential exposures, over 145,000 have signed up for health monitoring through the program.
The most common ailment faced by those in the program is cancer with over 48,000 certified reports. Other ailments include respatory illnesses like asthma and COPD, and mental health conditions like PTSD and depression, among other conditions.
As for Scheidt, his funeral was held Aug. 21 in Saratoga Springs. In advance of the funeral, Saratoga closed streets and restricted parking along the processional route.