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Community Corner

Changed By 9/11: Greenport Man Rushed to Find Victims at Ground Zero

Steve Dominick was a member of Engine 325 in Queens during the attacks on the World Trade Center.

, Steve Dominick was finishing up a weekend visit to his Southold condo before he was called back to work as a New York City firefighter on Engine 325 in Queens.

Soon after the towers fell, all fire and police personnel were called back, and Dominick drove to the staging area at Shea Stadium, where he and other firefighters were bused to and from the World Trade Center site to work in 15-hour shifts digging through the rubble by hand as part of the recovery effort.

Dominick lost eight men from his company.

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After his work at Ground Zero, Dominck’s health declined,  forcing him in 2003 to go on disability after 20 years in the department. He said his lungs are so damaged that Prednisone and inhalers are keeping him alive.

“My lungs are basically shot,” he said.

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Within months of retiring, he left his Holbrook home and moved onto the North Fork. Today he’s a member of the but because of his disability he’s limited to driving the trucks. But that's enough for him.

"I just want to be able to connect to the fire department," he said.

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