( CNN ) -- Three retiree firefighters from the FDNY died this week from illnesses believed related to the September 11 , 2001 , terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center . Daniel Heglund , Robert Leaver and Howard Bischoff , who suffered from cancer , died Monday within hours of each other , reported CNN affiliate NY1 . `` Losing three firefighters on the same day to WTC-related illnesses is a painful reminder that , 13 years later , we continue to pay a terrible price for the Department 's heroic efforts on September 11th , New York Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro said in a statement . Ninety-two firefighters have died of illnesses related to the 9/11 attacks and hundreds of firefighters and ambulance workers suffer from respiratory problems , NY1 reported . All three men rushed to the World Trade Center site on the day of the attacks . They all retired in 2003 . Heglund was a firefighter from Rescue 4 in the Woodside section of Queens and had spent 21 years on the job , NY1 reported . Leaver was a member of Engine 202 in Red Hook and served 20 years . Bischoff was a fire officer for 19 years and served with Ladder 149 in Dyker Heights . News of the three deaths comes as advocates seek reauthorization of a program to provide health services to people with 9/11-related health problems at least through 2015 . President Barack Obama signed the James L. Zadroga 9/11 Health & Compensation Act into law in 2011 . `` I 'm asking [ leaders in Washington ] to be as brave as the people who responded on that day , '' FDNY Union-Uniformed Fire Officers Association President James Lemonda said at a press conference . `` This is not just a firefighter issue . This is an American issue . '' Government reports suggest workers at the World Trade Center were exposed to a number of chemicals that were known to be carcinogens , or agents that may cause cancer . Cancer is plaguing a growing number of first responders and rescuers who worked at ground zero after the terrorist attack . These are cancers the federal government says are thought to be directly related to that effort -- cancers like leukemia , myeloma , thyroid and prostate cancers . At the end of July , there were at least 1,646 certified cancer cases that have been documented by Mount Sinai Selikoff Centers for Occupational Health . There were some additional 863 cancer cases among both fire and EMS personnel , according to FDNY , which keeps a separate database for its members . CNN 's Jen Christensen contributed to this reort .
All three firefighters responded to the World Trade Center on September 11 , 2001 . They all died of illnesses related to their time working at the site , officials say . Hundreds of firefighters and ambulance workers suffer from respiratory illnesses .