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Steve Buscemi is known for his iconic acting roles, an accomplishment that was a lifelong dream as a child growing up in Long Island, New York. But in the 1980s, he was a firefighter with the Manhattan Engine 55 – a job that led him to step up after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks to help New York City firefighters rescue and recover the injured and killed. in the attack.
Today, 20 years later, Buscemi says the trauma of that day still resonates with him, as it does with so many others.
Speaking on the WTF podcast with Marc Maron on Thursday, Buscemi said that on September 12, 2001, he took his old coat and hard hat and returned to Engine 55. When he arrived at the fire station, he learned that five of the firefighters were missing, including one who was a “good friend”.
“I was taken to the site that day, walked for hours, then found my business, found Engine 55, who was working there, and asked if I could join them. ” Buscemi continued to work with them for several days. “It was so devastating.”
Buscemi also discussed the long-term health effects of working on Ground Zero after the attacks. Dozens of respiratory diseases and several types of cancer have been linked to being at the World Trade Center at the time of the attack.
“I don’t know if anything could have stopped one of the first responders and the volunteers that they were from doing this huge job. But it would have been good to at least know the dangers,” Buscemi said. “… You could just smell it, like it wasn’t sure. And you would hear people say, ‘You know, I bet we’re going to die of it in 20 years.'”
Buscemi said he had no effect on his physical health while working on Ground Zero and was regularly checked to make sure, but he was “definitely” suffering from PTSD. Many of those who survived these attacks or responded to the scenes continue to suffer from PTSD and others. mental health problems.
“I was only there for five days, but when I stopped going and kinda tried to relive my life, it was really, really hard,” Buscemi said. “I was depressed. I was anxious. I couldn’t make a simple decision.”
Even now, Buscemi says the events that have taken place are “always with me”.
“There are times when I talk about 9/11, and I feel and I’m right there. I start to choke on myself and realize that it’s still a big part of me,” said Buscemi. “… Once I stopped going, it was difficult for me to see any pictures of it or be near it. I only went back months and months later, when the site was practically down … it’s heartbreaking. ”
Over the past decade, Buscemi has devoted much of his time to assisting other first responders who have been working on recovery efforts after the attack.
“The first responders who were there for a while, a lot of them were there for months, they didn’t see their families. They went to the funeral like all the time, or they were at the site,” Buscemi noted. “And the guilt of the survivors was a big factor, you know? For example, why did they survive?
In 2014, Buscemi declared CBS Sunday morning that he felt he had no choice but to jump in for help after the World Trade Center was hit. He said he helped dig through the rubble and the site looked like “you were on another planet”.
“It was unrecognizable as what you thought it was before. I had no idea where I was, you know? ” he said. “It was really confusing and bewildering. There was something about being there that was also very heartwarming, and I remember it surprised me. I went there to help, but it’s me who was helped, you know? It really helped me. “
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