Exclusive | NYPD detective lost FDNY dad to battle with 9/11-related cancer days after honoring his fallen brothers

Ground Zero hero Thomas Del Pino lost his brutal battle with 9/11-related brain cancer — dying just three days after honoring his fallen brothers last year.The retired firefighter, 66, was among the more than 57,044 first responders diagnosed with Sept.11 cancer and one of 5,892 people who came into contact with the toxic dust generated by the WTC terrorist attacks to die of the disease.Del Pino had 18 years on the job and was the chauffeur for Ladder Co.

85 out of Staten Island when the planes struck on Sept.11, 2001.

 “He was extremely grateful that he got to survive that day,” his 38-year-old son, NYPD Detective Daniel Del Pino, told The Post ahead of the 25th anniversary of the attacks.“His big thing was he never wanted anyone to forget about 9/11.”His truck was one of the first sent to the scene because it had the highest ladder available — a 95-footer, though it had no chance of extinguishing a fire 1,500 feet above ground.“They were pulling up when the second tower came down,” the son said.

“Him and another guy ended up diving under a firetruck.” Del Pino remained on the pile for days looking for survivors and remains.The FDNY lost 343 members that day.“That was something that really haunted him — the survivor’s guilt,” the son said. That was one of the reasons his dad made himself “the liaison” to another family who lost their firefighter father in the attacks.“My dad had to be the one to tell the kids that their dad wasn’t coming home,” Del Pino recalled.

“His remains were never found.My dad carried that with him.”Del Pino had thought about following in his father’s footsteps since he was a little kid, but he had blue blood in him as well, he said.

His dad’s father was an NYPD officer for 22 years.His dad suggested he take all the city’s civil services tests and the NYPD called in 2010.“These guys were all heroes,” he said.

“When everyone else was running away, cops and firemen were running into...