Summit will mark the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks with a memorial ceremony at fire headquarters on Friday, Sept. 11.

The observance begins at 9:45 a.m. at 281 Broad St., where Mayor Elizabeth Fagan and local first responders will speak before the annual bell-ringing ceremony, according to the city's event listing. All residents are invited.

The anniversary comes as the federally funded World Trade Center Health Program reports that cancer diagnoses among first responders exposed to Ground Zero toxins are still rising. Some cancers linked to that exposure have latency periods of 20 to 30 years, meaning new cases are emerging now, according to Iris Udasin, medical director of the WTC Health Program at Rutgers University, in a Rutgers statement published by Patch.

"Latency for some cancers is 20 or 30 years, so we're seeing more cancers than ever before," Udasin said.

The numbers bear that out. As of March 2024, the most recent data available, the program had 132,530 enrolled members nationwide, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Nearly 36,000 living members had at least one cancer certification. New Jersey accounts for more than 10,000 enrolled members.

The program covers all cancers linked to 9/11 exposure, including uterine cancer, which was added in 2023. The CDC estimates more than 400,000 people were directly affected by the attacks and their aftermath, according to the agency's program handbook. Many who may be eligible for care have not yet enrolled.

Frank Geffre, 61, a Piscataway firefighter who worked at Ground Zero during recovery efforts, has faced cancerous nodes on his sinus canal, colon cancer and near-loss of his left kidney. Many of the people he worked alongside have since died.

The WTC Health Program was established by the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010. It is authorized to operate until 2090.

Also on Sept. 11, the Rutgers WTC Health Program Clinical Center of Excellence will hold a commemoration ceremony starting at 9:30 a.m., livestreamed on the Rutgers website. First responders or survivors seeking care through the program can call 848-445-0123.