9/11 hero firefighter who featured in iconic photo dies after contracting rare lung disease from working at Ground Zero

Lt Martin Fullam was one of the thousands of first responders on site on 9/11 and was pictured in iconic shot from the day



Contracted rare lung disease years later from working at ground zero

Was advocate for Zadroga Health Act, which was signed into law in 2010

Hero: Former FDNY Lt Martin Fullam, 56, was laid to rest Saturday in Staten Island

A hero firefighter who bravely served on September 11th alongside hundreds of other first responders has died of a rare lung condition, and was laid to rest yesterday.

FDNY Lt Martin Fullam contracted polymyositis in 2005, and had also suffered from pulmonary fibrosis, which left him breathless and exhausted after the simplest of tasks.

The late firefighter, 56, was one of the men carrying fatally wounded FDNY Chaplain Mychal Judge through the still-smoking rubble on 9/11.

The image of Lt Fullam and four others carrying the chaplain has remained one of the most poignant and haunting pictures from that horrific day.

Hundreds of members of New York’s bravest gathered Saturday afternoon on Staten Island to say farewell to Lt Fullam, who fought tirelessly for first responders of 9/11 and those living near ground zero.

‘Marty is an inspiration to all of us,’ FDNY Commissioner Salvatore Cassano said outside of Our Lady Star of the Sea in Huguenot.

After Lt Fullam heard of what happened at the World Trade Center on the morning of September 11, 2001, he rushed to the site, even though he wasn’t on duty that day.



First responders: Lt Fullam, far left, was one of the rescue workers carrying fatally-injured FDNY Chaplain, Father Mychal Judge, from one of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001

He spent the following weeks and months working at Ground Zero, looking for survivors, and later bodies.



Th e Staten Island Advance reports that he was one of thousands who filed claims against the city over his chronic illness.

Later, he fought for the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, which President Obama signed into law in 2010.

Lt Fullam suffered from pulmonary fibrosis in his lungs, and was diagnosed in 2005 with polymyositis, an inflammatory disease that led to pain and extreme muscle weakness.



New York's bravest: Lt Fullam was an advocate for the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, which gave first responders and lower Manhattan residents access to benefits and care

He also was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis, which made breathing extremely difficult.

In April of 2009, he received a lung transplant at New York Presbyterian Hospital-Columbia University Medical Center.

‘I truly think I’m the luckiest person in the world,’ he said at the time from a wheelchair as he left the hospital. Dozens of uniformed servicemen were applauding his continued courage.

In total, Lt Fullam served 27 years with the FDNY, working in Staten Island, Brooklyn, and Manhattan.

He is survived by his wife, Patricia, and his daughters, Caroline, Emma, and Kelly.

Fight: Sen. Chuck Schumer, right, argued for more funding for those like Lt Fullam, center in 2007; then Sen. Hillary Clinton, third right, looks on