Game Changer

I remember clearly that the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, was remarkably beautiful, a real “feel-good” day. I was sitting in my office doing the mundane tasks that deputy chiefs do when my wife called to tell me to flip on CNN. I watched the replay of the first plane striking the World Trade Center and thought that it was a terrible catastrophe — but it never occurred to me that it was anything more. Then the second plane hit, and things became tense very quickly. Everyone was on edge, thinking that we were under attack.

All sorts of thoughts cascaded through my mind: What other targets have the terrorists identified? What are the likely targets in our area? What are the security issues? As I mulled all of this, a 911 call came in from the nearby University of Virginia reporting a possible explosion. Immediately my “spider sense” began to tingle. Just as quickly I realized that things no longer were normal, as this event was given a second alarm even before the first unit arrived on scene. Fortunately, what was thought to be an explosion was simply a student dropping a light bulb that popped when it hit the floor. As I said, everyone was on edge.

Obviously, no one will remember 9/11 as a feel-good day. But it was a day that elicited positive change in the fire service. For starters, it forced us to think about things that previously we couldn’t even imagine. Prior to 9/11, no one in their wildest nightmares would have come up with a scenario where terrorists would fly passenger jets into our skyscrapers. Now, anything was possible — and we had better be ready for it.

The events of 9/11 gave us a clear indication of the capabilities our enemies, and of our own limitations. Prior to that momentous day, all of the communications systems in our area were siloed — police couldn’t talk to fire and neither of us could talk to public works, the transportation department or the university. That’s a problem, especially when you’re dealing with a major, multi-jurisdictional incident. The federal government recognized this too, and did something about it, primarily by changing its grant guidance.

Today, in order to get federal dollars, you first have to establish a regional communications plan. As a result, there are many more regional systems in place today across the country — including ours. We now have more than 25 public-safety agencies on this system, including UVA’s campus police, and interoperability no longer is a problem. An added benefit to doing this was that we share the costs of operating and maintaining the system over multiple entities, which significantly lightens the load for each of us. We also get better pricing because we buy equipment in bulk.

Ours is not the only agency to have accomplished this — it has happened all over the country, and that’s a good thing. When silos come down, our response capability is enhanced greatly.

There were other significant changes as a direct result of 9/11. Prior to that day, we only had state hazmat teams. Now have a regional hazmat team that allows us to more quickly respond to the hazardous materials that we encounter in our area, which improves our ability to save lives and property. In this regard, it’s good to be self-sufficient, because we don’t always have the time to wait for the state team to arrive.

Perhaps the biggest change was the formation of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which was created as a direct result of the 9/11 attacks. Spinning out of DHS was the National Incident Management System, as well as the SAFECOM program and the Office of Emergency Communications, both of which were created to improve interoperable communications nationwide.

RELATED: How NIMS, Incident Management Have Evolved Since 9/11

The events of 9/11 also sparked a new era of information-sharing between agencies, which led to the formation of fusion centers and ultimately Virtual USA, a DHS-created program that allows emergency managers to tap into a wide array of databases, and which was used to great effect in the aftermath of last year’s Gulf of Mexico oil spill. And it could be well-argued that 9/11 was the catalyst for an effort that has led public safety to the cusp of a nationwide wireless broadband network for first responders — something that would have been unthinkable a decade ago.

PODCAST: Oil Spill Offers Real-Life Test of Virtual USA

It is difficult to find a silver lining in a senseless, heinous act of violence that took nearly 3,000 American lives, including the 343 brave members of the FDNY. However, 9/11 without question forced us to take a hard look at our gaps and vulnerabilities. More importantly, it inspired us to do something about them. That’s a good thing.

Charles Werner is chief of the Charlottesville (Va.) Fire Department, the chairman of the SAFECOM executive committee and FIRE CHIEF’s 2008 career chief of the year.

Stunned, Angry, Resolute

There only have been a handful of days in my 41 years when an event occurred that was so momentous that I clearly recall where I was, what I was doing and how that point in time altered my being. For me those events are: President Ronald Reagan getting shot; the explosions of the Challenger and Columbia space shuttles, the start of the first Gulf War; my marriage; and the birth of my children. And then there is Sept. 11, 2001.

I remember that day as if it were yesterday. I was at home watching my son and daughter while my wife was at a doctor’s appointment. Otherwise, I would have been in my office at the Fitchburg Fire Department. I received a call from my brother who was living in Columbus, Ohio, and he told me to flip on CNN. I did and what unfolded before me is seared into my consciousness forever.

It wasn’t until the second plane hit the towers that I, like most Americans, realized what was transpiring. I was stunned as I watched the horror. I watched as emergency-service personnel scrambled to help those in desperate need of rescue. I watched in disbelief as the towers crumbled and several thousand people died instantly. I cried. Even though I knew only a couple of FDNY folks, I knew that many of my fellow brothers and sisters perished right in front of the cameras.

I sat in disbelief as the news broke of the Pentagon and Pennsylvania plane crashes. I remember feeling pissed off, hurt and then numb. I remember calling my best friend who was a member of Missouri Task Force 1, and he informed me that he was packing because he was headed to Ground Zero. I remember praying for those affected and for our country. Even though I had previously served 11 years with the Army National Guard, I felt the overwhelming urge to re-enlist because I wanted to be part of the upcoming fight.

But I also witnessed, in the aftermath of the attacks, a fully united America. We banded together as one. We took pride in our country. We became stronger. We all became more vigilant.

That day seared into my brain that first responders have a larger mission than our local communities. We play a much broader role and are now, forevermore, woven into the fabric of national security. There hasn’t been a day since then that I haven’t approached my profession in a different manner. I have a higher degree of situational awareness, both personal and professional, regarding people and things that look out of place or look like they can inflict harm on my loved ones, my co-workers and the American public.

Those who perished on that date are forever burned into the fabric of my being and how I approach my life as an emergency responder. The lives of Americans will never be the same. This new era has required sacrifices from us all, and will continue to do so. We cannot afford to fall back into a state of complacency by ignoring our new reality.

David Fulmer is chief of the West Licking Joint Fire District in Pataskala, Ohio.

Peaks and Valleys

There are moments and events in our history that change the very fabric of our country and our world, and how we each live on a day-to-day basis. Such was Sept. 11, 2001, a day of great national tragedy not only for our country, but also for the American fire service.

During this last decade, we have experienced numerous peaks and valleys concerning the economy, our nation’s fight against terrorism — both at home and abroad — and the political strife that has polarized many within our country and throughout the world.

The events of 9/11 brought a new focus on the first responder as being an integral part of homeland security, and on the importance of the fire service in protecting the United States. If there is a silver lining of this tragic day, it is the collaboration we see today with our counterparts in public safety: police, public works, and other departments within our city and county governments. Interagency collaboration is so much better today, and we are much better prepared to respond to all hazards than we were 10 years ago.

One of the most interesting observations over the last decade concerns how our profession has gone from the pinnacle of respect and trust in the years immediately following 9/11 to where it is today. If someone would have told me 10 years ago that I would be reading the number of negative articles regarding the fire service on a weekly basis, I would not have believed them.

This shift may have been driven in part by the entitlement mentality that many in our profession developed in the aftermath of 9/11, given the hero worship that enveloped the fire service at the time. It also may have been driven in part by our culture; we are struggling to adapt to the environment that surrounds us today, one that is changing so rapidly that we are having a very difficult time reacting. Or it may be as simple as we are out of touch with our customers and need to re-engage them in new ways as we move forward into the future. Whatever the drivers, it has been an interesting 10 years to experience as a fire chief.

One memory that has stayed with me concerns the night of Sept. 11, 2001, when all of our congressional leaders stood on the steps of the Capital collectively singing, “God Bless America.” I will never forget that scene, nor will I forget the feeling of great pride and resolve that stemmed from the belief that we were united in our mission as Americans. Each and every day, when I watch TV and see the political rancor that is prevalent today, I wish that we could return to that moment in time, when politics aside, it was America first. It was an awesome moment, and one I hope, at some point in my lifetime, I can see once again — not as a result of tragedy, but as a result of coming together for the common good, to do what is right for the citizens that we serve and for the country that was founded on a foundation of freedom and service over self. The Founding Fathers knew of that sacrifice and service when they signed the Declaration of Independence, placing their lives in peril in the pursuit of freedom — as did the 343 when they responded to the World Trade Center to save the lives of their fellow citizens.

Randy Bruegman is chief of the Anaheim (Calif.) Fire Department. He also was FIRE CHIEF’s 2009 career chief of the year.

How Soon They Forget

As a member of the Fairfax County (Va.) Fire and Rescue Department, I started my day on leave the morning of Sept. 11, 2001. I was scheduled to teach a hazmat drill at our fire and rescue academy, then take a college class, and finally go back to work for the “night side” on Rescue Squad 401.

While making coffee, I turned on the TV and saw the first World Trade Center tower ablaze. I immediately thought of a good friend who was then assigned to FDNY 13 Truck in Manhattan, and figured this was his career blaze. While calling him (unsuccessfully), I saw a blur on the screen, followed by fire in the second tower. Shortly afterward, I heard a news report that a plane had struck the Pentagon, several miles east of my house. At that point, I grabbed my gear and headed to the academy.

It was a chaotic scene. Many Fairfax County units already had been dispatched to the Pentagon as part of our regional automatic aid agreement, with more to follow. My captain met me in the parking lot and asked to use my cell phone to contact his wife, who worked at the Pentagon. It was surreal. Still in civilian clothes, I jumped on our hazardous materials unit and we headed back to quarters. Not knowing what to expect that day, we stopped at the grocery store and stocked-up on water, food and cash. Before long we were dispatched to a station near the Pentagon to decontaminate crews coming off the fireground. We set up a decontamination line using the station’s facilities and went to work.

Two moments really stand out from that night: seeing the seemingly endless line of fire apparatus stretching into the distance; and realizing that, despite our proximity to multiple airports, the sky was eerily quiet — except for the sound of Air Force F-16s on combat air patrol.

I expect that anyone in the fire and emergency services who lived through 9/11 will never forget that tragic day in our nation’s history. For those of us who participated in responding to, or recovering from, the World Trade Center, Pentagon, or Pennsylvania crashes, the memories are extremely vivid — like it happened yesterday — even more so, of course, for those who lost fellow firefighters, colleagues or family members.

Unfortunately, even as we honor the 10-year anniversary of their sacrifice, it seems that many people we serve indeed have forgotten, or never learned, the central lessons that arose from that day. And the principal lesson is this: local firefighters, EMS providers, law enforcement officers and other government officials — not state or federal entities — will provide the critical first response to any catastrophic event in the United States.

*Thousands of state and federal firefighters, EMS providers, and law enforcement officers work every day protecting communities across the United States; they are included here as "local" first responders in every sense of the word.

As a fire chief in the National Capital Region, with a department that responded to the Pentagon, I am frequently asked whether we are prepared for the next 9/11. Frankly, my answer is “no.” It’s remarkable how people react to this assertion, and I have come to recognize that most of our citizens have absolutely no idea how fire and emergency services are provided in their local jurisdictions. We are, in most cases, taken for granted.

Although we certainly have benefited from federal grant programs targeted at enhancing state and local preparedness over the past decade, the continued effects of the economic recession drastically have undermined the essential foundation for addressing emergency incidents arising from all hazards. Namely, the basic fire and EMS resources (i.e., staffing, vehicles and equipment) that comprise our communities’ core response to everyday incidents and those we still dare not imagine.

While I certainly understand the cyclical and interrelated nature of the economy, public perception and public policy priorities, it seems to me that, as fire chiefs, we cannot wait for the next tragedy to strike before we sound the alarm to elected officials.

I sincerely hope that 9/11 will remain our “day of days” for generations to come. But we owe it to the memory of our fallen heroes to never let anyone forget the firefighters who remain on the front lines — protecting our homeland from all enemies, both foreign and domestic.

Adam Thiel is chief of the Alexandria (Va.) Fire Department.

*Added 9/192011

The Time to Rally is Now

The impact of Sept. 11, 2001, obviously was felt by our entire nation. Coming on the heels of winning the first Gulf War and the resultant high level of patriotism that existed across our country, the terrorist attacks not only killed and injured the innocent, it crippled our morale. In the months and years that followed, the nation rallied around the first responders and our military, who selflessly gave their lives for their fellow Americans.

Most of us in the fire service felt that public support in some fashion, whether it was through a simple thank you by a citizen or the receipt of millions of dollars in Homeland Security funding. It seemed that the nation’s support would never end and that we would continue to strengthen our first response capabilities.

But then came the Great Recession. People began to ask, what are those firefighters doing with all those federal dollars? How much equipment do they need? How many firefighters do we really need to respond to medical calls, how many do we need when fires are down so much that we hardly have any? Now, suddenly, we are “pigs at the trough” of public funds.

The decade that has ensued since the 9/11 terrorist attacks has taught us a valuable lesson: Public support only goes so far. When money gets tight priorities shift from even the noblest of sacrifice. Unfortunately, we in the service now face the challenge of “doing more with less” despite the earlier outcry to “be prepared.”

On Jan. 8, 2011, in a shopping center just outside Tucson, Ariz., the Northwest Fire District, along with the Tucson Fire Department and several law enforcement, fire and EMS agencies, responded to the shooting of 21 people, including a Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (R-Ariz.). While nowhere near the scale of the 9/11 attacks, it was a grim reminder that terrorism is still at work in our country, and that it can strike anywhere, anytime. In fact, if we recall tragic events such as this all the way back to Columbine, it appears that domestic terrorists pose a threat to Anytown, U.S.A.

While each of us in fire agencies across America knows we face this threat, and that we must be prepared, we now do so as much of the rest of the nation questions our “largess.” How do we respond to public apathy and irritation? How do we as a service continue to provide the highest level of response, with well-trained, courteous and caring firefighters? How do we resist the urge to diminish our compassion to match the apathy?

We should work with increased effort and diligence to communicate to our firefighters the importance of maintaining the service for which they are famous. As a service, we must never lose sight of the need to maintain a positive and professional attitude, and to always go above and beyond customer expectations. We need to remind our firefighters that 10 years ago 343 firefighters gave their lives, with scores more injured and left ill, and that they must never let that sacrifice go unrecognized. The greatest gift we can give to those members, their families and the generations to come is to realize that we don’t serve for recognition; rather, we serve because the fire service is a calling.

Public apathy will diminish when the economy improves or, God forbid, the next tragedy occurs. But that apathy, and the ensuing incivility that has taken hold across the country, should be met by the fire service with a resilience and resolve never seen before. We, as a service, should rally together to be mentors and leaders in civil behavior, treating others with service that exceeds expectations. This behavior and attitude starts in the firehouse and in the halls of administration, and carries out to the people we serve.

Let’s never forget the sacrifice of Sept. 11, 2001. We can best do that by ensuring that the fire service continues to be the model of civil behavior and self-sacrifice, despite the apathy, insolence and demands of a public whose memory is fading.

Mark Burdick is chief of the Glendale (Ariz.) Fire Department.