The triplet sons of an FDNY firefighter, who responded to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, are not identical but they share a common past and will soon share a common future.

They’re three of the thousands of children who lost a parent 25 years ago on Sept. 11 or in the years after due to 9/11-related illnesses.

William Gormley’s sons – Raymond, Billy and Kevin – were just 3 years old when their father rushed to the twin towers on Sept. 11, 2001. While many children lost parents that day, the brothers grew up with their father, only later learning the toll his work at Ground Zero had taken on his health.

“We all, for the most part, have the same lives in a lot of ways,” Raymond said while sitting on a couch between his two brothers. “The same trauma, the same upbringing, the same everything. No one understands me like these two understand me.”

But for Kevin, Raymond and Billy didn’t learn about what happened from the history books, they lived it and they always had each other to rely on.

“This is a huge point my father always made, he said, ‘These are your people. You were born with them, and this is what you got til the end,'” Kevin said.

They don’t remember what happened on Sept. 11, since they were so young. “Now, 25 years later, we’re understanding the full grasp of what happened that day,” Raymond said.

WABC-TV ABC 7 New York City

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VIDEO: Three months after a fall left him impaled on a metal T-post, 67-year-old Mark Horak reunited Thursday with some of the firefighters he credits with saving his life. Horak said he was trimming tree branches at his Greenacres home on June 15 when he lost his balance while standing on top of a rock wall.

He fell about 15 feet and landed on a metal T-post, which went through his back and abdomen. “I didn’t know really what had happened until I got to the ground and then I saw that the post was coming out,” Horak said. Horak said his first thought was to call for his wife and get help.

“I was just hoping and praying that I would make it,” he said. Firefighters and emergency medical crews arrived within minutes. Spokane Valley Fire Capt. Mike Patterson said crews found Horak suspended roughly 12 inches off the ground, with his body weight putting pressure on the post.

Patterson said crews first stabilized Horak and supported his weight before determining how to safely cut the post. “We got a backboard down, cut the fence post and moved the patient,” Patterson said. Crews cut the post from the ground but left the portion inside Horak in place for transport to the hospital. Patterson said Horak remained conscious and was talking with crews on the way to the hospital.

KREM-TV CBS 2 Spokane

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VIDEO: The search for 26-year-old Neil Gehring in Olympic National Park has entered its 10th day, with rescuers turning to technology in an effort to find him. Members of Seattle Mountain Rescue are assisting with the search. Among the tools being used are drones and artificial intelligence, technology that is increasingly becoming part of the search-and-rescue toolkit.

For Daniel Hwang, the value of that technology is personal. Hwang was climbing near North Bend when he fell about 30 feet, breaking several bones and tearing a lung. The impact left him struggling to breathe. “I couldn’t get a good breath in,” Hwang said. But help arrived within minutes.

“Ten, 15 minutes later,” Hwang recalled, “like somebody was there.” That response is what Seattle Mountain Rescue has provided for decades. The mission has remained largely the same: find people in trouble and get them out safely. But the tools rescuers use to do that are changing.

KREM-TV CBS 2 Spokane

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Bellevue is expanding its use of drones as first responders to police or fire scenes. A one-year pilot program launches this fall and will enable patrol officers to quickly deploy drones to an incident location to collect key information.

“The Drone as First Responder program is a true force multiplier for the Bellevue Police Department,” said Police Chief Wendell Shirley. “This city resource will empower our officers to respond to calls for service faster, safer, and with greater precision across the city. This program ensures we maximize our capabilities and deploy our resources with efficiency.”

Drones can also show if an emergency response is needed at all. In Redmond, police saw an 18.8% drop in officer-initiated responses in 2025 because initial information from drones indicated the calls did not require an officer.

KOMO-TV ABC 4 Seattle

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Eastside Fire and Rescue wants its Board of Directors to approve a 15% budget increase at its Sept. 10 meeting.
“They gave us a bare-bones budget two years ago,” said Ray Austin, President of IAFF Local 1762. “So we’re way behind as it is and we’re just trying to stay current.”

Austin was among dozens of EFR members who filled council chambers to lay out their case before Issaquah City Council on Tuesday night. Austin says most representatives on the EFR Board of Directors support its 15% increase, but Issaquah’s rep. has proposed a lower number. “Issaquah has been advocating for a 10% increase which is not enough,” said Austin.

EFR members shared stories of not making it to calls due to fire trucks breaking down and urged Issaquah’s rep, Issaquah City Councilmember Lindsey Walsh, that this budget increase is needed to keep up with demands.
EFR Firefighter Corentin Morel says calls have shot up 221% since 2019 and it costs $1,272 per emergency call in Issaquah, which he believes is 57% below market rate.

“The city of Issaquah enjoys a champagne level of service on a Coors Light budget,” said Morel. Austin says any increase below their request of 15% would come at a cost to safety. “It’s not about saving money; it’s about saving lives. It’s about having all the equipment, people, and resources to respond when somebody calls 911,” said Morel.

KIRO-TV CBS 7 Seattle

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