The 9/11 Firefighter Who Became an Advocate | The Chazz Palminteri Show | Episode 292

In Episode 292 of *The Chazz Palminteri Show*, I speak with FDNY firefighter Paul Whalen about his firsthand experience responding to the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Paul was working out of Ladder 109 in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, and had switched tours with another firefighter that morning. He describes responding toward Manhattan, traveling through the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel as it filled with dust, helping civilians, and eventually making his way toward Ground Zero. Paul also shares the terrifying story of becoming separated from his company during the collapse and being placed on a missing list while his friends and family feared the worst. The conversation continues into the long-term health effects Paul experienced after 9/11, his early retirement from the FDNY, the Victims Compensation Fund, and his efforts to protect benefits for 9/11 responders and their families. This is an important conversation about courage, sacrifice, brotherhood, service, and remembering September 11th.