FDNY 9/11 Medic Feels Abandoned by the City

Lt. Rene Davila - hailed as a hero after he became the first EMS supervisor to respond to the World Trade Center on 9/11 - feels like a zero now.

Davila, a 20-year veteran paramedic assigned to FDNY Battalion 4 downtown, accepted a World Trade Center medal from Mayor Bloomberg in 2003.

But he is now on medical leave without pay, and the city blocked his claim for workers' compensation - even though FDNY doctors said he's mentally impaired and unable to work.

"I feel abandoned," Davila said. "It's not fun the way I am now. I'm very upset. All my savings are gone."

Davila, 56, was no stranger to massive tragedies. He was also on the scene when the Happy Land Social Club in The Bronx burned down in 1990, killing 87 people.

"I did the body count for the Happy Land fire. I'll never forget that people died holding hands," Davila said.

But the psychological trauma from 9/11 weighed on him more and more as time passed - and he cracked after the Hurricane Katrina disaster in New Orleans. He said that disaster's images brought back memories of terror and helplessness from Ground Zero.

"I've seen a lot. But I had never seen scores of people jumping from buildings and falling to pieces around me," Davila said. "I didn't want to see anyone else die."

At Ground Zero, he set up triage command centers and directed ambulances to take victims to hospitals in Brooklyn and Manhattan.

"I saw a guy laying on the ground with a big hole on the side of his chest the size of a fist," Davila said.

Last year, Davila, who had been clean for 19 years, turned to booze to cope. Meanwhile, his absences at work increased as his health worsened.

"I did try to commit suicide. I tied a small propane tank to my left arm with duct tape," he said. "It's almost like the ghost of 9/11 had taken me."

He received psychiatric services at St. Vincent's Medical Center after visiting the FDNY Counseling Services unit and was given antidepressant medication. He did a stint in alcohol rehab.

FDNY doctors declared him "unfit" for duty on a "permanent" basis, according to a May 5 medical report. They described Davila as "tense and preoccupied" and suffering "hallucinations."

But the state Workers Compensation Board sent Davila a letter last month saying the city "objected" to his claim and therefore he is "not receiving any benefits."

The city Law Department declined comment.

Davila skipped an initial hearing Sept. 18 and plans to reschedule after getting a lawyer.

News stories provided by third parties are not edited by "Site Publication" staff. For suggestions and comments, please click the Contact link at the bottom of this page.