After helping at Ground Zero, 2 ill firefighters left out of settlement

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Updated: August 4, 2011 4:20PM

Arthur Noonan was one of a dozen Chicago Fire Department members who volunteered to help in the rescue and recovery efforts at Ground Zero after the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

But Noonan, who contracted leukemia in 2004, and firefighter Stanley Salata, who was diagnosed with respiratory problems in 2003, have been left out of a $625 million settlement to cover the health claims of more than 10,000 workers at the World Trade Center site.

Their lawyer, Matthew J. McCauley, said a judge decided their claims were filed two weeks too late and excluded them and more than 300 others from the settlement.

“It’s depressing and upsetting,” said McCauley, a retired New York cop, who is appealing the ruling.

Noonan and Salata were among 188 responders and 86 survivors who are living in Illinois and enrolled in the World Trade Center health registry, which tracks the health of the participants.

Noonan, a 30-year veteran who retired after his Christmas 2004 cancer diagnosis, said he recalled standing in a line where buckets of debris were removed from Ground Zero to sort for human remains and clothing.

“It was a very sweet smell you will never forget,” he said. “There was a grayish, thick dust — in some places six-inches deep and others just a dusting.”

Noonan and the other volunteers were given respirators, but the filters clogged up after a few minutes. Eventually, they worked without masks or respirators, he said.

New Yorkers appreciated the help from the out-of-town firefighters, Noonan said. One New Yorker plunked $200 on a bar to pay for the Chicago firefighters’ beers after a day at Ground Zero. Their luxury hotel was free. “We were welcomed with open arms,” he said.

Noonan, 64, whose cancer is in remission, said he submitted medical documents to substantiate his illness. A friend told him about the legal settlement, but he wasn’t sure at first about filing a claim.

“I have never gotten anything for nothing in my life,” he said. “I have always worked two or three jobs. But if there is compensation, I would love to pay off the rest of my doctors’ bills, leave something for my wife and maybe even something for my grandkids.”

McCauley said he hopes the appeal is successful for Noonan and Salata, who is still on the fire department.

There is another possible source of compensation for the men — the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010 — but the legislation is stalled in the Senate, but it may be taken up again this week. “They came to New York to help us out,” said McCauley, who also assisted in the rescue effort after 9/11. “Now nobody wants to help them.”

Cont ributing: Lynn Sweet