Bravest dies of Sept. 11 cancer

A RETIRED FDNY lieutenant is the latest first responder to succumb to a Ground Zero-related cancer, authorities said Tuesday.

Lt. Joe Stach, who spent 72 hours at the World Trade Center site immediately after the terror attacks and stayed there for weeks, died Sunday after a long battle with pancreatic cancer, family members said. He was 51.

Stach was a firefighter in 2001. He retired as a lieutenant in 2010, after 20 years with the department.

His last assignment was at Ladder 6 on Canal St. in Chinatown.

Stach (photo) once risked his life by crawling into a burning Chinatown tenement to rescue a man stuck to the floor by melted plastic, authorities said. The FDNY cited him for bravery for the save.

His time at Ground Zero left Stach suffering from several illnesses, family members said. Doctors told him he had pancreatic cancer last March.

A month after he got his grim diagnosis, a group of firefighters from one of his old houses, Engine 48/Ladder 56 in the Bronx, traveled to his home in Valley Cottage, Rockland County, to spruce up his yard as he underwent chemotherapy .

His Bravest brothers knew that Stach took pride in his property and was often seen caring for his flowers and bushes before he fell ill.

“We just wanted to do something nice to help him out. We know he’s been sick and unable to do some work around the house,” said Vinny Esposito, 48, a former FDNY colleague.

“The weeds were up to here. The house needed some work.”

When Stach returned home, weakened from his chemo treatment, he immediately perked up.

“This is great,” he said. “I appreciate all the work you guys did. It looks a whole of a lot better than what I could have done.”

“It pays to know people,” he joked.

Stach was also a Life Member of Empire Hook & Ladder Co. No. 1 in Upper Nyack, according to his obituary.

He is survived by his wife, Joann, and their five children.

A funeral will be held at St. Ann’s Church in Nyack, Rockland County, at 11 a.m. Friday.

Stach is the third 9/11 first responder to die this year, according to CBS News.

He is the 165th FDNY member to die from a 9/11-related illness since the terror attacks, the department said.

An additional 133 NYPD members have died of sicknesses attributed to the wreckage of the Twin Towers, police said.