Every year on 9/11, the city recognizes 343 first responders who died. However, there was a firefighter who was not counted

The ringing of a wall-mounted telephone on the morning of September 11, 2001, changed everything for Arnold Roma. He had just finished a 12-hour hospital shift and was trying to catch some sleep at his home in Staten Island. When he finally answered that phone, he didn’t hear a friendly greeting. Instead, he heard the frantic, piercing sound of sirens on the other end of the line and the voice of his 27-year-old son, Keith Roma. 

CNN reported that the younger Roma told his father, “Dad, they’re going to need everybody. You better get down here.” Arnold, a former NYPD officer, volunteer firefighter, and nurse, promised to meet him at the World Trade Center. It was the last time the two would ever speak. For the last 25 years, the number 343 has been etched into the national consciousness as the official tally of FDNY members lost in the attacks. However, this count leaves out Keith Roma. 

While Keith was a hero who spent his final moments carrying civilians to safety, he served as a New York Fire Patrolman, not an FDNY firefighter. This distinction created a painful, decades-long struggle for his father, who spent years lobbying for his son to be recognized alongside the other heroes of that day. With this year’s memorial upon us, Roma’s sacrifice is worth noting.

The forgotten alternate first responders

The New York Fire Patrol was a unique organization dating back to 1803. Initially known as the Mutual Assistance Bag Company, these men protected property from fire and water damage. According to FireRescue1, the early members used linen bags to carry valuables out of burning buildings and relied on bed keys to disassemble furniture to save it from destruction. 

By 1839, the New York Board of Fire Underwriters had reorganized the group into the New York Fire Patrol. Per FireRescue1, they were a paid salvage company that worked side-by-side with the FDNY, often arriving at the same scenes to conduct salvage operations and assist with rescues.

To a casual observer, it was nearly impossible to tell a patrolman from an FDNY firefighter. Both groups wore similar black turnout gear and breathing apparatuses. The outlet noted that the primary visual difference was the color of their helmets, with FDNY personnel wearing black and the Fire Patrol wearing red. As Arnold Roma told CNN, “You go back and look at any New York fire footage, you’ll see the red helmets.” 

Despite being a private entity funded by insurance companies, the patrolmen were true first responders. FireRescue1 noted that they faced the same smoke-filled rooms and dangers as the FDNY. However, the New York Fire Patrol was shut down in 2006 when insurance deemed them unnecessary.

On September 11, Keith Roma and his colleagues from Fire Patrol 2 were on the front lines. According to FireRescue1, “By his own colleague’s count, Roma personally saved the lives of over 200 people, making no less than four trips up Tower 1 in the process.” His lieutenant, John Sheehan, witnessed him carrying victims down the stairs and handing them off to police and EMTs. 

CNN noted that when the South Tower collapsed, it created a blinding wind tunnel. Sheehan called out for Keith, but there was no response. Out of 16 patrolmen who responded that day, Keith was the only one who did not make it home.

The recovery of Keith’s body was a grueling, 104-day ordeal for his father. Arnold Roma reportedly spent 12 hours a day, 7 days a week, digging through the wreckage at Ground Zero. On Christmas Eve 2001, rescuers finally found Keith among a group of civilians he had been trying to guide to safety. 

His fellow patrolmen honored him by carrying him out of the rubble, a moment that remains deeply painful for those who were there. “I mean, it was Christmas, and it was probably one of the worst things I had ever experienced in my life,” Sheehan told CNN.

Even though Keith died in the line of duty, his name remains absent from the official FDNY memorial count. Per CNN, former FDNY Commissioner Sal Cassano noted that while there was internal discussion about the count, the decision was made to stick to the active-duty roster. Thus, the 343 number refers strictly to active-duty members of the FDNY. 

Keith reportedly received other honors, including the FDNY Fireman’s Medal of Supreme Sacrifice and a 9/11 Heroes Medal of Valor from the White House. However, for Arnold Roma, not being counted is tantamount to being forgotten. 

“Every waking day of my life the number upsets me,” he told CNN. He believes the count should be 344, and he continues to fight for the recognition he feels his son earned. He noted, “If they just included him, the world would know that he died a hero.”