ABSTRACT
In addition to the sheer scope and magnitude of the 9/11 disaster, an additional fact distinguishes it from the Oklahoma City bombing, the shootings at Columbine High School, and other recent public tragedies-the role, and the deaths, of significant numbers of rescuers. Rescue personnel, who usually work behind the scenes, became instant celebrities. Entire agencies, such as the Fire Department of New York and the New York Police Department, were elevated to the status of superheroes as their personnel threw themselves into peril trying to save those caught in the towers. Of the first responders, 343 firefighters, 37 Port Authority police, and 23 New York City police officers died when the towers collapsed.
