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Your Stories of 9/11 and Its Impact
It's hard to believe it's been 10 years since 9/11.
How has 9/11 impacted your life -- both personal and in public safety?
Were you on duty on 9/11? Did you join the fire/EMS service because of it?
Share your story with others and comment here.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Barbu-Maximilian Laurentiu on
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My respect for USA!
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Permalink Reply by Barry Greer on
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9/11 brought me back to the fire service and helped me start talking again about experience I tried to bury. It led directly to creation of pipenozzle.com.
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Permalink Reply by Rachel on
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9-11 did not bring me to the fire service, but it has given me a bigger urge to join.
NEVER EVER Forget-343 FDNY!!!
God Bless ALL firefighters!!!
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Permalink Reply by Bill McMaster on
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I was here in Canada taking the oil plug out of a customers van at my shop when my sister came from her office and told me that a plane had hit the trade center. I asked her what kind of plane, and she said a small plane. I thought about the one that had hit the empire state building and thought what kind of idiot would fly into a building like that. She came out a few minutes later and said a commercial airplane had hit it. I went to the internet to CNN (dial up of course and took a long time to get on. I drove home and turned on the TV just before the second one hit.
I remember watching it on TV at night and seeing the guys going through the rubble and hearing the PASS alarms going off. As a firefighter I knew what it meant to hear PASS alarms going off. I remember watching in tears as I thought about the firefighters that were in there.
Now, whenever I hear a PASS alarm, I think about those images on TV. It still brings me to tears watching it.
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My respect for fireman and USA!
Romania firebrigade Pitesti RESPECT for you!
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Permalink Reply by John Crabbe on
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How has 9/11 impacted your life -- both personal and in public safety?
Ten years ago, this country was in a different world, ten years later the "changes" have become the new normal. Ten years ago, one didn't see armed military in airports, nor police in riot type gear or rifles at the ready near landmarks, or transportation hubs, etc. Ten years ago, one could basically go through security at the airport without a ticket, to sit with a loved one before they left on their flight. Airport security before, well sure nothing like today, one could walk through without taking off shoes.
In the realm of public safety, well, lets look at many things which did change,for better and worse. NIMS for one, different opinions are out there, but in order to even qualify for consideration of some funding such training is undertaken. You have greater focus and emphsis on terrorism and even HAZMAT, etc which wasn't as prevalent before. For many depts there was new teams created from tech rescue and collapse training, equipment, and HAZMAT.
Now while many can argue about the funding of such things today, especially those considering themselves tea party, the reality is much of the anti-terrorism funding has helped. While many areas used terror "options" as reasoning to get funding, the reality is much of the funding has been used outside of terrorism functions. For instance collapse training was a big reason for Homeland Security funding, yet we have seen from Katrina, Rita, Joplin, Tuscaloosa, etc that such training, and funding does go beyond terrorism.
Ten years ago, there wasn't a couple of semi trailers hindering traffic near Lambeau Field on game day. Ten years ago you didn't have concrete highway dividers offset at federal facilities like the NFA, military bases etc. Ten years ago, anyone could drive onto a military base, now you must have a sticker and ID.
Ten years later, the events are still fresh in my mind, but I have learned to look at 9/11 differently as more of a history lesson. A couple years after 9/11, we would have school groups or scouts, etc come in and see memorial pictures on the walls of the stations, or one station with the picture of the 343 FDNY lost. Kids then sort of at least knew what the pictures were about.
Today, the fire service has to remember we are now seeing people that don't know, nor understand the pictures on the walls. While giving a station tour a few months ago, a kid asked the question as to who all the guys were in the picture from 9/11. I responded with those were the 343 firefighters who died in the WTC, to which it occurred that we do see many kids today who were too young or not born when 9/11 occurred and now seeing images. So yes, if any dept has such pics, memorials, stickers, etc remembering 9/11 and they are no where near NYC, it goes to show how things have changed us.
Were you on duty on 9/11? Did you join the fire/EMS service because of it?9/11 is today's "JFK" or "Pearl Harbor", most of us can think back and immediately recall what they were doing at that time. I'm no different, I was starting my second year of my degree program and received my Fire 1 and 2 certs (Dated 9/10/01) the day before. That morning we were to have an extended class on HAZMAT with an outside instructor, so it was to be a good day. I walked into the breakroom to see the TV on and pics of the North tower on fire and reports of a plane crashing to it. I recalled the story of the bomber that hit the Empire State Building in the 40's, figuring this wasn't much different. The qoute from Backdraft popped in my head of "These High Rise gigs give me the creeps".
I went to class and then we learned of Flt 175 hitting the south tower. We had a short lesson and then "extended" break with most of us watching TV. Then we learned of the Pentagon, and then further the collapses, etc. Our lesson that day was pretty brief with most class time spent watching history. We did get excused early since many of us were affiliated with depts and school was in the state capitol. Listening to the radio on the way back to the station you heard how all govt buildings were being shut down, the Sears Tower in Chicago was being evacuated, etc.
At the station we were following up on the latest news and MABAS stuff being looked at and response issues and coverage if something were to occur in Chicago. Like most we spent much of the rest of the day waiting for a call and watching the latest news. I remember watching WTC 7 collapsing live. Later that evening I had to go to driver/operator class and my chief and I listening to the president speak on the radio.
A day or so later our fire instructor asked "what could we do as a class?". No ideas immediately popped up, yet later that evening a friend and I were to attend a presentation on the Columbine shooting. However, the presentation was cancelled due to the presenter being stuck with grounded flights.....The flights themselves was an eerie silence, no planes in the skies. My friend and I talked about what we could do and figured a card doesn't do it.
Shortly after our class organized a fundraiser at school and had a great turnout. We raised over a thousand dollars and looked to give proceeds to the FDNY. We decided against a national charity like Red Cross, United Way etc, who would skim, but instead to just give the money to a firehouse in NYC, since some of use were going there anyway. A month later four of us went to the NFA (one of the first groups there after 9/11) and after the weekend were off to NYC. One member of the group lived in NYC for some time and L-5 stuck out at me for some reason, we ended up giving the money to L-5 and E-24 on 6th and Houston St, NYC. We stayed at the house for a couple days and was quite an experience.
That house had a neighborhood bar (Chumleys) that was an old speakeasy and the owner was thnakful for the quick save after a fire that he dedicated the bar to the house. There was the Phoenix (L-5 mascot) and bulldog (E-24 mascot) at the bar with pics of 3 FF's who died in the Watts St fire in 1994. Tending bar that night was Bobby Beddia who was on the E-24 on 9/11 and talked with us for quite a while after his shift. We definately learned so much more than any TV special could ever produce and learned the personalities of several of those who died.
A few years ago, Bobby died in the Duetche Bank fire along with Joseph Graffinino.
I personally made a point to remember the names of the 11 guys from that house who died on 9/11 as well as Bobby and Joe.
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Permalink Reply by John Jacquette on
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During December of 01' I was fortunate to make the trip to New York and stand Honor Guard at several memorials. I was touched by the gratefulness of the FDNY brothers and their families. While attending the memorial in Rock-Away for FF Christopher Pickard. R 4 showed to stand guard. I had the honor talking with the guys and sharing my prays for their lost brothers. I snapped the photo below.
At that time I did not know the significance of this moment. I spent the days preceding the 10 year anniversary touching up the striping and lettering of this great rig.It was my honor to replace the names of the men that were lost at the Fathers Day Fire and those lost at Ground Zero from Rescue 3 and 4. I could never image that my hands would have ever touched this rig after that December day in 2001. This is web page address for the restoration of R 4, www.therrp.org. I have not and will not forget the brothers of FDNY. God Bless you and your Families.
John Jacquette HPFD
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I apologize it was Christopher Pickford. Again my apologies to FF Pickford and his family.
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Permalink Reply by Nenad on
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That day I was at home working something, when my parents called me. I saw on TV breaking news with one of the twins burning. At first moment I didn't understand what was going on. Few moments later second plane hitting second tower was on TV, than Pentagon and so on... I watched TV, and endless questions were on my mind. I would never understand how far human diabolity can go and sacrify inocent lives for a so called holly fight. What is holly in taking anybody life ?
When toweres collapsed, my heart was in pain, and tears came out. I was feeling like I lost somebody I known, although I never known anybody, in this part of world.
All those known and unknown victims their families and rescuers who survived those horror, they will always have my respect.
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Permalink Reply by Oldman on
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I was the Operations Supervisor of a private Medical Transport company, and the Director and I had just gotten to a local ABC affiliate to tape a local TV show. We arrived just after the first tower was struck. We (as did a lot of people) presumed that an errant pilot had somehow crashed... An accident. As we waited for the taping to begin, we watched the second plane hit. We all knew then, this was no accident. We saw scenes of the Pentagon on fire, and the mood went from shock to anger. It really took a lot, to continue taping. Everybody from the camera operators, audience, and the shows host really struggled to stay focused.
Definitely a day I will never forget.
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Permalink Reply by Sgt. Matthew H Tartaglia on
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Thank you for your response. Respect and Honor to you.
MH Tartaglia
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In Romania it is an "after the war many brave to show". I do not want to believe this but on September 11, when I saw the first tower burning and I knew that many brothers will fall fire will die. It was a surprise second plane. At that moment I was sure that democracy are under attack.
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