by Pat
McOsker
Director
Years from now, each of us will remember where we were and what
we were doing at the moment we first learned of the terrorist
attack on the World Trade Center in New York City. The
intensity of emotion as we watched an unspeakable horror unfold
on live network television has forever seared that moment into
our hearts and minds. Many of the feelings experienced by firefighter
during and after the attacks on September 11th are shared by all
Americans. Grief, outrage, pride, and patriotism are but a
few of those that come to mind. But for firefighters, the
cut was even deeper. The blood sacrifice of so many of our
brothers stirred up emotions that could only be felt and fully understood
by fellow firefighters.
"the brother hood of
firefighters was at it's best"
In the days after the tragedy, a burning
desire to help was the impulse of every LAFD firefighter,, and
of firefighters from all over the country. Each one of us
wanted to be right there at ground zero, working shoulder to
shoulder with our New York brothers. As FDNY members later
observed, "the brotherhood of firefighters was at it's
best." Ultimately, three lucky groups from the LAFD
traveled to New York and helped in the effort. We can all
be proud of what they accomplished, and they are deserving of
our recognition.
LAFD Urban Search and
Rescue Team
The first group of LAFD firefighters to
arrive in New York was our Urban Search and Rescue Team.
Our USAR Team was at the top of FEMA's dispatch list, and they
went to New York as part of the federal response. By all
accounts, they performed admirably under dangerous conditions,
and did all that was asked of them and more. Their return
to Los Angeles after 10 days at ground zero was marked by a well
deserved hero's welcome at LAX, followed by an appearance on the
Tonight Show by a representative group of 3 team members.
LAFD CISM Team
Our Critical Incident Stress Management Team began arriving in
New York two days after the USAR Team. Technically this
group had not been dispatched to New York. That is to say
that neither the FDNY nor FEMA had actually made a request for help
when the team was initially sent to ground zero.
Nevertheless, LAFD management anticipated a need, wanted to help,
and "self-dispatched" our CISM people to New
York. Sure enough, the need for firefighter stress
management at the site of the WTC collapse was enormous.
Our team was quickly absorbed into the FEMA effort. Once
again our people came through and were able to help our FDNY brothers.
The warm reception the CISM team received upon their return was
fitting.
LAFD
"Freelancers"
The third group of LAFD members who helped in
New York has been called "the freelancers". They
were the 30 to 40 firefighters who flew to New York on their
own, with the simple goal of finding any way to help.
These "givers" represent the best of what firefighters
are all about. Our freelancers arranged time off at their
expense, paid for their own transportation, lodging, and meals,
and literally spent their "vacations" in New York City
lending a hand. But before they left Los Angeles, they
faced some obstacles that the others had not.
LAFD Management discouraged
members from going to NYC
At some point management had become aware of
their intentions. An "all chiefs" meeting was
called, and at that meeting battalion chiefs were instructed to
visit each fire station and to discourage firefighters from
traveling to New York to help in the effort. As those visits
were taking place, a teletype notice went out to the
field. The notice characterized travel from the Los
Angeles area as something akin to the abandonment of one's post,
and strongly advised against the "self-dispatch" to
New York by LAFD firefighters. Finally, on September 19th
a letter from the Fire Chief was sent to all work locations. The
letter lectured firefighters concerning their responsibility to protect
the City of Los Angeles, and warned, "faltering in this
mandate will not be tolerated". Many firefighters
took all of this as an implied threat of discipline for anyone
ignoring these warnings.
No Stopping LAFD Members
But these givers were determined to
help. Several of them called UFLAC Board members for
advice. They were told that the department had no right to
impose travel restrictions or otherwise control the legal
activities of off-duty firefighters. That settled, they
finalized their plans. Less than one week after the attack
on the WTC, these LAFD ambassadors, dressed in fresh UFLAC tee
shirts, headed for New York City on some of the first commercial
flights allowed out of Los Angeles.
. . . perfect example of
the brotherhood of firefighters
What happened next surprised even me. Our
boys simply showed up at FDNY firehouses with words of
condolence, and an offer to help in an way needed. They
professed a willingness to cook, to clean, whatever. Their
attitude was instantly seen by New York firefighters (whose
reliance on union principals is legendary) as a perfect example
of the brotherhood of firefighters. Before long many were
"riding out" on fire trucks in order to free up FDNY firefighters
to attend funerals and comfort loved ones. But the story
doesn't end there. As these FDNY fire companies "rotated
in" to rescue and recovery duty at ground zero, they brought
along the "brothers from Los Angeles". As a
result, the freelancers unexpectedly became the first LAFD
members to see effective action at ground zero.
. . . the first to earn
the trust of the firefighters in charge
But an explanation is needed here. You
will remember that the first two groups of LAFD firefighters
preceded the freelances by a few days. So how did the
freelancers get in on the action first? Our USAR team and
CISM team were part of the FEMA effort. Through no fault
of their own, both teams had spent the first few days working
well out on the perimeter of the site. An incident
of this magnitude is an overwhelming organizational
challenge. This was FDNY's incident. Their 14,000
firefighters and ample resources were enough to do the job alone
if necessary. Remember that it was their fallen brothers
in the rubble. As much as possible they intended to
"bring out their own". So in those early days
only the FDNY and the outside firefighters they brought in had
real access to the site. Furthermore, the acceptance of
outsiders by New York's bravest was somewhat dependent on their
being readily identifiable as professional IAFF
firefighters. Therefore, a firefighter tee shirt with the
IAFF Maltese cross was the uniform of choice. Our
freelancers wore the UFLAC tee-shirt, they had flown all the way
across the country at their own expense, they came hoping only
for a chance to help brothers in need., and had demonstrated
their abilities while working shoulder to shoulder with the
FDNY. Naturally they were the first to earn the trust of
the firefighters in charge.
The department had become
aware of the sensibilities of FDNY and had asked UFLAC for
"tee shirts for everybody"
In little time the selfless work of the
freelances opened doors for the rest of the LAFD
contingent. The appreciation of FDNY firefighters was
expressed as, "Hey, you guys from L.A. are
alright." That was transferred to the rest of
our group, and soon everyone had the access needed to do the
work that they had come to do. It probably also helped
that by now all of our people, chiefs included, were wearing
either a LAFD or UFLAC tee shirt. The department had
become aware of the sensibilities of the FDNY and had asked
UFLAC for "tee shirts for everybody". We were
happy to oblige. A shipment was sent overnight to New York
City, and well over 100 shirts were distributed to LAFD members.
LAFD Pride
The collapse of the twin towers on September
11th was one of the worst tragedies in American history.
Certainly it will go down as the worst day in the long history
of the fire service. While mere words can never adequately
express the immense sadness we firefighters feel for the loss of
so many of our brothers, we can take solace in knowing that so
many LAFD "givers" were there to help in that time and
place of terrible need. Each of them deserves a full
measure of our gratitude. We can be proud of the
contributions of all of our co-workers, both those who were sent
by the powers that be, and those who simply followed their
hearts.
|
