The 9/11 firefighter whose death went uncounted, tell me about this news in (https://www.cnn.com/2026/09/11/us/keith-roma-911-firefighter-nyc)

The story of Keith Roma centers on a 27-year-old first responder who died during the September 11 terrorist attacks, often remembered by advocates and family as the 344th firefighter. Village PreservationThe official FDNY death toll on 9/11 is widely commemorated as 343. Roma, however, was not an employee of the FDNY; he served with the New York Fire Patrol, an independent salvage and rescue unit funded by the insurance industry that operated alongside city firefighters. Village Preservation+ 1On the morning of September 11, 2001, Roma responded with Fire Patrol House 2 to the World Trade Center. He entered the North Tower multiple times, helping evacuate around 200 civilians to safety. When the tower collapsed, Roma was killed inside. His body was recovered on Christmas Eve 2001, found surrounded by nine civilians he was escorting out. Village Preservation+ 3Despite his actions and sacrifice, official city records and memorials strictly restricted the firefighter death count to active FDNY personnel, leaving Roma omitted from the famous 343 total. This omission has long been a source of pain and advocacy for his family and fellow responders, who continue to push for his formal recognition alongside the fallen FDNY firefighters. FireRescue1