9-11-2001 - 18 years later - please don't forget

I was in EMS for 22 years before retiring due to a back injury. One of my most memorable experiences was responding to New York City as a Paramedic in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of 9/11. I will never forget that experience. What I saw and did are still with me, as is a type of asthma from breathing the dust. My Experience as a Paramedic on 9-11-01 

We lost over 3,000 American's that day, including 8 EMS Providers, 60 Police Officers and 343 Firefighters in NYC. 

Since that day, 200 FDNY Firefighters have died from 9/11 related illnesses, and hundreds of others are sick, including EMS, PD and civilians. There is a new area at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum in NYC for these individuals who are sick. 

As time passes, people seem to forget what happened and the toll it has taken. We need to make sure we never forget and educate our children about what happened. Talk to them about it, tell them how you felt and what the experience was. Take them to the 9/11 Memorial and Museum in NYC. It is an amazing, somber experience going there. My 6 year old daughter has been to ground zero and the park, but not into the museum. That will come later. 

I still vividly remember where I was (at Sikorsky Aircraft) when it happened, responding down there as a paramedic, the sights, the smells, the people. I was at Ground Zero for the last part of my shift down there on 9/12. It was sobering to see the pile, knowing there were people in there. 

As the years have gone by, we have lost first responders to 9/11 related diseases, many struggle with PTSD or other medical issues. The current generation doesn't know this as anything but history. The worst part for many of us was not being able to save people and the many days and weeks hoping against all odds that we would find people alive. 

I went to the 9/11 Memorial Museum in NYC in 2012. It was an amazing, heartbreaking experience. I recommend that every American go there and see it, remember those who were lost, and pray something like this never happens again.

9/11 still haunts me to this day, as it does most of us who responded. But we persevere and move on, not letting the terrorists win. 

As the years have gone by, I've noticed that people are not remembering this terrible event like they did the first few years after. I know that my EMS, Fire and Police colleagues all do, as do the brave men and women of our armed forces who fight every day against terrorism.

I've also noticed less being done in schools lately. Most of today's students weren't even born when 9/11 occurred. Please teach them about it (facts only please) and make sure they understand what it means. I will be speaking at the school my wife teaches at, a Military and First Responder high school, this morning to share my experiences with them.

This photo was taken on 9/10/07 showing a rainbow leading right to the WTC site and the Freedom Tower!

United We Stood, United We Stand Today is a day Americans will never forget. It is a day of remembrance, a day of reflection and a day to be proud. It is a day we honor and remember the thousands of lives lost, the survivors, and those who rose up in service in response to the attacks on 9-11-2001. It is a day we pay tribute to and reflect on the sacrifices of the public safety workers and the men and women in our military who serve us and protect us 365 days a year. It is a day Americans can be proud of the way we came together following the attacks on 9-11. United We Stood. United We Stand.

Here are some more resources about my experience on 9/11 and 9/11 in general:

My Experience as a Paramedic on 9-11-01

Remembering 9/11 (from 2009)

Great collection of sites about Osama bin Laden, terrorism, and the wars in the Middle East from Larry Ferlazzo.

http://www.history.com/content/9-11/102-minutes

http://makehistory.national911memorial.org/

http://www.national911memorial.org/site/PageServer?pagename=New_Home

http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1921566_1932073,00.html

http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2008/08/13/the-best-sites-to-help-teach-about-911/







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9-11-01 Seventeen Years later and still remembered

I was in EMS for 22 years before retiring due to a back injury. One of my most memorable experiences was responding to New York City as a Paramedic in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of 9/11. I will never forget that experience. What I saw and did are still with me, as is a type of asthma from breathing the dust. My Experience as a Paramedic on 9-11-01 

I still vividly remember where I was (at Sikorsky Aircraft) when it happened, responding down there as a paramedic, the sights, the smells, the people. I was at Ground Zero for the last part of my shift down there on 9/12. It was sobering to see the pile, knowing there were people in there. 

As the years have gone by, we have lost first responders to 9/11 related diseases, many struggle with PTSD or other medical issues. The current generation doesn't know this as anything but history. The worst part for many of us was not being able to save people and the many days and weeks hoping against all odds that we would find people alive. 

I went to the 9/11 Memorial Museum in NYC in 2012. It was an amazing, heartbreaking experience. I recommend that every American go there and see it, remember those who were lost, and pray something like this never happens again.

9/11 still haunts me to this day, as it does most of us who responded. But we persevere and move on, not letting the terrorists win. 

As the years have gone by, I've noticed that people are not remembering this terrible event like they did the first few years after. I know that my EMS, Fire and Police colleagues all do, as do the brave men and women of our armed forces who fight every day against terrorism.

I've also noticed less being done in schools lately. Most of today's students weren't even born when 9/11 occurred. Please teach them about it (facts only please) and make sure they understand what it means.

This photo was taken on 9/10/07 showing a rainbow leading right to the WTC site and the Freedom Tower!

United We Stood, United We Stand Today is a day Americans will never forget. It is a day of remembrance, a day of reflection and a day to be proud. It is a day we honor and remember the thousands of lives lost, the survivors, and those who rose up in service in response to the attacks on 9-11-2001. It is a day we pay tribute to and reflect on the sacrifices of the public safety workers and the men and women in our military who serve us and protect us 365 days a year. It is a day Americans can be proud of the way we came together following the attacks on 9-11. United We Stood. United We Stand.

Here are some more resources about my experience on 9/11 and 9/11 in general:

My Experience as a Paramedic on 9-11-01

Remembering 9/11 (from 2009)

Great collection of sites about Osama bin Laden, terrorism, and the wars in the Middle East from Larry Ferlazzo.

http://www.history.com/content/9-11/102-minutes

http://makehistory.national911memorial.org/

http://www.national911memorial.org/site/PageServer?pagename=New_Home

http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1921566_1932073,00.html

http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2008/08/13/the-best-sites-to-help-teach-about-911/







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A Message from the 9/11 Memorial and Museum - watch ceremony live online today

On September 11, 2001, and in the days that followed, our nation came together in a spirit of unity and resolve as we struggled, with profound shock and overwhelming grief, to comprehend the single largest loss of life from a foreign attack on American soil. This morning, we stand together at the 9/11 Memorial to remember the nearly 3,000 innocent men, women, and children killed in the attacks at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and aboard Flight 93, which crashed in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The annual commemoration, centered on the reading of their names, will begin at 8:40 a.m. I invite you to share in this sacred day of remembrance by watching the ceremony live on our website and joining with others on social media in observance of the anniversary, using #Honor911. Among those reading the names today are children of the victims, some too young to have a memory of the morning that changed their lives forever. They know all too well the imperative of remembering those who were killed. Many have chosen to honor their loved ones and recognize the courageous actions of those who risked their lives to help others, through their own acts of service. One of them is Jerry D'Amadeo who was just 10 years old on 9/11 when his father, Vincent Gerard D'Amadeo, was killed in the North Tower. Jerry honored the memory of his dad by working with children affected by the mass shooting at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. Last year, as a participant in the names reading for the 15th anniversary of 9/11, he reflected that "sometimes the bad things in our lives put us on the path to where we should be going — to help others as many have helped me." I am always moved when I meet young people like Jerry, who are dedicated to volunteering and public service as their way of commemorating the lives of those who were killed. We were lucky enough to have Jerry join the Museum staff as a member of our Visitor Services team. Every day, he facilitates meaningful encounters with the history presented here, forging a personal link between that history and visitors from around the world. Our staff is keenly aware of how vitally important it is to convey the significance of 9/11 to young people who will inherit a world defined in so many ways by the events of that terrible day. Later today, our educators will host a webinar about 9/11 that will reach nearly 100,000 students in all 50 states and in schools around the globe — one of many educational programs we offer throughout the year for school children to instill a deeper understanding of the relevance of 9/11 in their lives. We do all this in tribute to those whose names we will speak out loud today in a powerful act of shared commemoration. Throughout the year, we pledge to follow the inspiring example set by Jerry and others like him to remember the enormity of what was lost, uphold the promise never to forget, and pay attention, as Jerry observed, to "where we should be going" — through actions and commitments that affirm a positive legacy of service. With sincere respect and warm regards, Alice M. Greenwald President & CEO .

Remember 9/11 Sixteen Years later

I was in EMS for 22 years before retiring due to a back injury. One of my most memorable experiences was responding to New York City as a Paramedic in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of 9/11. I will never forget that experience. What I saw and did are still with me, as is a type of asthma from breathing the dust. My Experience as a Paramedic on 9-11-01 

As the years have gone by, I've noticed that people are not remembering this terrible event like they did the first few years after. I know that my EMS, Fire and Police colleagues all do, as do the brave men and women of our armed forces who fight every day against terrorism.

I've also noticed less being done in schools lately. Most of today's students weren't even born when 9/11 occurred. Please teach them about it (facts only please) and make sure they understand what it means.



Yesterday, this photo was taken showing a rainbow leading right to the WTC site and the Freedom Tower!

United We Stood, United We Stand Today is a day Americans will never forget. It is a day of remembrance, a day of reflection and a day to be proud. It is a day we honor and remember the thousands of lives lost, the survivors, and those who rose up in service in response to the attacks on 9-11-2001. It is a day we pay tribute to and reflect on the sacrifices of the public safety workers and the men and women in our military who serve us and protect us 365 days a year. It is a day Americans can be proud of the way we came together following the attacks on 9-11. United We Stood. United We Stand.

Here are some more resources about my experience on 9/11 and 9/11 in general:

My Experience as a Paramedic on 9-11-01

Remembering 9/11 (from 2009)

Great collection of sites about Osama bin Laden, terrorism, and the wars in the Middle East from Larry Ferlazzo.

http://www.history.com/content/9-11/102-minutes

http://makehistory.national911memorial.org/

http://www.national911memorial.org/site/PageServer?pagename=New_Home

http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1921566_1932073,00.html

http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2008/08/13/the-best-sites-to-help-teach-about-911/







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Remembering 9/11 - 15 years later

I was in EMS for 22 years before retiring due to a back injury. One of my most memorable experiences was responding to New York City as a Paramedic in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of 9/11. I will never forget that experience. What I saw and did are still with me, as is a type of asthma from breathing the dust. My Experience as a Paramedic on 9-11-01 

As the years have gone by, I've noticed that people are not remembering this terrible event like they did the first few years after. I know that my EMS, Fire and Police colleagues all do, as do the brave men and women of our armed forces who fight every day against terrorism.

I've also noticed less being done in schools lately. Most of today's students weren't even born when 9/11 occurred. Please teach them about it (facts only please) and make sure they understand what it means.




I will never forget that day, my experiences, and the EMS Brothers and Sisters lost on that day:

United We Stood, United We Stand Today is a day Americans will never forget. It is a day of remembrance, a day of reflection and a day to be proud. It is a day we honor and remember the thousands of lives lost, the survivors, and those who rose up in service in response to the attacks on 9-11-2001. It is a day we pay tribute to and reflect on the sacrifices of the public safety workers and the men and women in our military who serve us and protect us 365 days a year. It is a day Americans can be proud of the way we came together following the attacks on 9-11. United We Stood. United We Stand.

Here are some more resources about my experience on 9/11 and 9/11 in general:

My Experience as a Paramedic on 9-11-01

Remembering 9/11 (from 2009)

http://www.history.com/content/9-11/102-minutes

http://makehistory.national911memorial.org/

http://www.national911memorial.org/site/PageServer?pagename=New_Home

http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1921566_1932073,00.html

http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2008/08/13/the-best-sites-to-help-teach-about-911/







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Remembering 9/11 14 years later

I was in EMS for 22 years before retiring due to a back injury. One of my most memorable experiences was responding to New York City as a Paramedic in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of 9/11. I will never forget that experience. What I saw and did are still with me, as is a type of asthma from breathing the dust. My Experience as a Paramedic on 9-11-01 

As the years have gone by, I've noticed that people are not remembering this terrible event like they did the first few years after. I know that my EMS, Fire and Police colleagues all do, as do the brave men and women of our armed forces who fight every day against terrorism.

I've also noticed less being done in schools lately. Most of today's students weren't even born when 9/11 occurred. Please teach them about it (facts only please) and make sure they understand what it means.



Yesterday, this photo was taken showing a rainbow leading right to the WTC site and the Freedom Tower!

United We Stood, United We Stand Today is a day Americans will never forget. It is a day of remembrance, a day of reflection and a day to be proud. It is a day we honor and remember the thousands of lives lost, the survivors, and those who rose up in service in response to the attacks on 9-11-2001. It is a day we pay tribute to and reflect on the sacrifices of the public safety workers and the men and women in our military who serve us and protect us 365 days a year. It is a day Americans can be proud of the way we came together following the attacks on 9-11. United We Stood. United We Stand.

Here are some more resources about my experience on 9/11 and 9/11 in general:

My Experience as a Paramedic on 9-11-01

Remembering 9/11 (from 2009)

Great collection of sites about Osama bin Laden, terrorism, and the wars in the Middle East from Larry Ferlazzo.

http://www.history.com/content/9-11/102-minutes

http://makehistory.national911memorial.org/

http://www.national911memorial.org/site/PageServer?pagename=New_Home

http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1921566_1932073,00.html

http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2008/08/13/the-best-sites-to-help-teach-about-911/







-

My Experience as a Paramedic on 9-11-01

I am a paramedic and I was an Aerospace Engineer before I became a teacher. On this 11th anniversary of that horrible day, I would like to share my experience of that event.

I was working at Sikorsky Aircraft in Stratford, CT as an engineer on that day. We started to get information from phone calls and then we all started checking the internet for news. Our security department, which is well trained and armed from having to guard the presidential helicopters, locked down the facility. It turns out later that we were on a target list that the terrorists had. I received a call from American Medical Response (AMR) which is the ambulance service I worked part time for in Bridgeport, CT to report for duty on 9-12-01 to respond to New York City as mutual aid for our New York division. During the whole day of 9-11 though, I felt helpless as I was trained to respond and help but couldn't get there. Not much work got done that day as we all tried to get more information on what happened. As the towers fell, we fell into shock like the rest of the country.

The next day, 9-12-01, I responded with AMR to New York City- we were sending units down from Bridgeport and New Haven to relieve our Long Island and Brooklyn crews that responded as part of the initial mutual aid response. We were escorted by CT and NY state police to the staging area at Chelsea Piers in Manhattan. On the way down, we had people honking and waving at us. As we would drive over the highway bridges in CT we could start to see the smoke from the Towers and realized how bad things were.

While at the Chelsea Piers awaiting an assignment, we saw New Yorkers walking up to the police line with donations of clothing, food, water, and more for all of the people from lower Manhattan who had been evacuated. This out pouring of support never ended. We saw it everywhere. Professional athletes from the Yankees, Mets and other teams also lent a hand at shelters and pitched in where they could.

As we moved from the Chelsea Piers to our assignment at the Staten Island Ferry terminal, we saw the NYPD Academy cadets were out assisting with traffic control and they saluted our convoy of ambulances as we passed by. New Yorkers were out in droves, waving flags and cheering us for coming to help. It was amazing.

Once in NYC, we were split up. 3 crews (myself included) were sent to the Staten Island Ferry terminal, were a triage and treatment center was set up (about 5 blocks from the WTC). We were controlled by a FDNY EMS Lt. She would dispatch us as needed to calls, along with 5 other services that had ambulances there (Jamaica Hosp.EMS, Bellmore Merrick EMS, FDNY EMS, Beth Israel Hosp EMS, and Rocky Hill (NJ) EMS.) The crews were all wonderful and we made some new friends. In between patients and calls, we talked about the difference between NY and CT EMS and told stories. These ambulances  actually covered 911 calls in the area, as well as calls from the disaster site. More than once, an ambulance was sent to the site, only to be turned around because the rescue teams couldn't get to the victims that they knew were there. There wasn't much to do for anyone.

Many FDNY FF's were taking the Staten Island Ferry home, so as they came to the terminal, we checked them over and treated their injuries and rinsed the dust out of their eyes. There were a few nurses and a doctor with us at the site also. We treated lacerations, and rinsed almost everyone's eyes out (the dust was everywhere.) The FF's were all exhausted from long hours of digging. Then the word came, two more buildings were in danger of collapse - and then they collapsed. My partner and I ended up going to that area to evacuate a cancer patient from his apartment (building next to the one that collapsed) and the area looked like a war zone. The building next to us was gone, the one next to that half gone. 8 inches of dust covered everything. National Guard, PD, FBI, Federal Marshalls were everywhere.

Paper and debri for blocks. And more buildings in danger of collapse. PD telling us to be careful getting the patient because of the potential of  more collapses. Everyone wearing HEPA masks because of the dust in the

air. Everyone covered in dust. We transported the patient to Long Island College Hosp in Brooklyn. The staff found out we were from CT and thanked us over and over for coming to help. They had no real information about what was going on because cell phones weren't working well in the area. We had to pass through a check point to get into the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel and the police checked out ambulance in side and out and then we had to go through the same thing to get over the Brooklyn Bridge. It was really weird being the only vehicle in the tunnel or on the bridge.

We then returned to Manhattan and ended up at the WTC site. It was surreal. Two 110 story buildings are now just piles of metal and concrete. I estimated only about 20 people were actually working on the site, most were standing around and waiting for something to do. We were wearing masks at Ground Zero, but noticed that the dust was still getting through the masks. As it turns out, my exposure to the dust has left me with reactive airway disease, which is similar to asthma. Many responders ended up with respiratory diseases from the dust, and no one really knows the long term effects.

We then returned to our staging location, helped more FF's, and finally went home. 

It was an experience none of us will ever forget. FDNY had a good system set up, and they, along with the other NYC services, were extremely nice to us. Businesses were feeding rescuers for free, and churches were setting up food and rest stations for rescuers. The overall feeling was of hope and cooperation.

ices from outside NYC who showed up, and freelanced

It was an experience that has changed me and my outlook on EMS and life. In the middle of all of this tragedy, many good things have happened.

One other thing - there weren't any fighter planes overhead that we could see, but there were multiple helicopters flying around, both for security purposes, and to survey things from the air.

The Coast Guard had Liberty Island completely blocked from all access.

US Marshalls, FBI, National Guard, SWAT, PD were set up everywhere, especially at the Empire State Building, USS Intrepid, and other major points.

I was able to pick up a cell site in New Jersey so I could call my fiancée and let her know that I was ok. There were all kinds of reports of rescuers being hurt, so I was good that I could let her know I was ok. My, now wife, is also in EMS and knew what I was going through, so it was nice to be able to talk to her.

I returned to the City on November 18th, 2001 for the EMS Memorial Service. Eight EMS workers from various agencies lost their lives on 9-11. Many of the police and fire fighters who died were also EMTs and all of us in public safety are a family. The memorial service was held at the Jacob Javitts center in Midtown and was attended by EMS providers from around the world. During the service we met EMTs and paramedics from West Germany, Japan, England, and all over the US. After the memorial service, we went down to Ground Zero. As we were let through the blockades by the police, the crowd of civilians started cheering for us and calling us "heroes". We didn't feel like heroes. We had just done our jobs and wished we could have saved more. At Ground Zero, there was a makeshift memorial set up on the wall of the firehouse that was there. People were leaving their service patches on the wall. As we started cutting our patches off of our uniforms to put up there, I heard a voice say "Hey, brother, can I borrow your knife?" It was a paramedic from California who was there to pay his respects. He cut his patch off of his dress uniform as a gesture of support to the New York City services who lost so many of there members. It was a very emotional scene at Ground Zero.

This experience was profound for me and I have to remember that my students were only 7 or 8 years old when this happened. They don't have the same memories I do. But, they do know about it and I am happy to talk about my experiences during that time.

I feel privileged to have been able to respond to New York City and assist. I will always remember that time and the people I met and how America came together in a time of tragedy. I will never forget my brave brothers from FDNY and EMS and Police that raced to help that day and lost their lives. 

I will also never forget that day or that experience because of the health effects on me. The dust from the collapse and burning of the buildings and aircraft was everywhere. It even got through our masks that we wore. Many rescuers, myself included, got that dust in our lungs. It has affected many and some rescuers have even died from it. I was diagnosed with Reactive Airway Disease, a disease similar to asthma and bronchitis, because of the dust I inhaled while working in NYC after the attacks. I will be on medication for the rest of my life to control the symptoms of the disease. I live with a constant reminder of that day. 

I'd love to hear other people's memories and experiences of that day.

Related Post

http://educationaltechnologyguy.blogspot.com/2009/09/remembering-9-11.html

Great collection of sites about Osama bin Laden, terrorism, and the wars in the Middle East from Larry Ferlazzo.

My Experience as a Paramedic on 9-11

I am a paramedic and I was an Aerospace Engineer before I became a teacher. As the 10th anniversary of that day approaches, I would like to share my experience of that event.

I was working at Sikorsky Aircraft in Stratford, CT as an engineer on that day. We started to get information from phone calls and then we all started checking the internet for news. Our security department, which is well trained and armed from having to guard the presidential helicopters, locked down the facility. It turns out later that we were on a target list that the terrorists had. I received a call from American Medical Response (AMR) which is the ambulance service I worked part time for in Bridgeport, CT to report for duty on 9-12-01 to respond to New York City as mutual aid for our New York division. During the whole day of 9-11 though, I felt helpless as I was trained to respond and help but couldn't get there. Not much work got done that day as we all tried to get more information on what happened. As the towers fell, we fell into shock like the rest of the country. Sikorsky immediately aided by using helicopters to shuttle personnel and equipment down to New York.

The next day, 9-12-01, I responded with AMR to New York City- we were sending units down from Bridgeport and New Haven to relieve our Long Island and Brooklyn crews that responded as part of the initial mutual aid response. We were escorted by CT and NY state police to the staging area at Chelsea Piers in Manhattan. On the way down, we had people honking and waving at us. As we would drive over the highway bridges in CT we could start to see the smoke from the Towers and realized how bad things were.

While at the Chelsea Piers awaiting an assignment, we saw New Yorkers walking up to the police line with donations of clothing, food, water, and more for all of the people from lower Manhattan who had been evacuated. This out pouring of support never ended. We saw it everywhere. Professional athletes from the Yankees, Mets and other teams also lent a hand at shelters and pitched in where they could.

As we moved from the Chelsea Piers to our assignment at the Staten Island Ferry terminal, we saw the NYPD Academy cadets were out assisting with traffic control and they saluted our convoy of ambulances as we passed by. New Yorkers were out in droves, waving flags and cheering us for coming to help. It was amazing.

Once in NYC, we were split up. 3 crews (myself included) were sent to the Staten Island Ferry terminal, were a triage and treatment center was set up (about 5 blocks from the WTC). We were controlled by a FDNY EMS Lt. She would dispatch us as needed to calls, along with 5 other services that had ambulances there (Jamaica Hosp.EMS, Bellmore Merrick EMS, FDNY EMS, Beth Israel Hosp EMS, and Rocky Hill (NJ) EMS.) The crews were all wonderful and we made some new friends. In between patients and calls, we talked about the difference between NY and CT EMS and told stories. These ambulances  actually covered 911 calls in the area, as well as calls from the disaster site. More than once, an ambulance was sent to the site, only to be turned around because the rescue teams couldn't get to the victims that they knew were there. There wasn't much to do for anyone.

Many FDNY FF's were taking the Staten Island Ferry home, so as they came to the terminal, we checked them over and treated their injuries and rinsed the dust out of their eyes. There were a few nurses and a doctor with us at the site also. We treated lacerations, and rinsed almost everyone's eyes out (the dust was everywhere.) The FF's were all exhausted from long hours of digging. Then the word came, two more buildings were in danger of collapse - and then they collapsed. My partner and I ended up going to that area to evacuate a cancer patient from his apartment (building next to the one that collapsed) and the area looked like a war zone. The building next to us was gone, the one next to that half gone. 8 inches of dust covered everything. National Guard, PD, FBI, Federal Marshalls were everywhere.

Paper and debri for blocks. And more buildings in danger of collapse. PD telling us to be careful getting the patient because of the potential of  more collapses. Everyone wearing HEPA masks because of the dust in the air. Everyone covered in dust. We transported the patient to Long Island College Hosp in Brooklyn. The staff found out we were from CT and thanked us over and over for coming to help. They had no real information about what was going on because cell phones weren't working well in the area. We had to pass through a check point to get into the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel and the police checked out ambulance in side and out and then we had to go through the same thing to get over the Brooklyn Bridge. It was really weird being the only vehicle in the tunnel or on the bridge.

We then returned to Manhattan and ended up at the WTC site. It was surreal. Two 110 story buildings are now just piles of metal and concrete. I estimated only about 20 people were actually working on the site, most were standing around and waiting for something to do. We were wearing masks at Ground Zero, but noticed that the dust was still getting through the masks. As it turns out, my exposure to the dust has left me with reactive airway disease, which is similar to asthma. Many responders ended up with respiratory diseases from the dust, and no one really knows the long term effects.

We then returned to our staging location, helped more FF's, and finally went home. 

It was an experience none of us will ever forget. FDNY had a good system set up, and they, along with the other NYC services, were extremely nice to us. Businesses were feeding rescuers for free, and churches were setting up food and rest stations for rescuers. The overall feeling was of hope and cooperation.

It was an experience that has changed me and my outlook on EMS and life. In the middle of all of this tragedy, many good things have happened.

One other thing - there weren't any fighter planes overhead that we could see, but there were multiple helicopters flying around, both for security purposes, and to survey things from the air.

The Coast Guard had Liberty Island completely blocked from all access.

US Marshalls, FBI, National Guard, SWAT, PD were set up everywhere, especially at the Empire State Building, USS Intrepid, and other major points.

I was able to pick up a cell site in New Jersey so I could call my fiancée and let her know that I was ok. There were all kinds of reports of rescuers being hurt, so I was good that I could let her know I was ok. My, now wife, is also in EMS and knew what I was going through, so it was nice to be able to talk to her.

I attended a friend's wedding the following weekend in Massachusetts. Due to the flight cancellations, many people couldn't attend, but we still made it a special day for them. 

I returned to the City on November 18th, 2001 for the EMS Memorial Service. Eight EMS workers from various agencies lost their lives on 9-11. Many of the police and fire fighters who died were also EMTs and all of us in public safety are a family. The memorial service was held at the Jacob Javitts center in Midtown and was attended by EMS providers from around the world. During the service we met EMTs and paramedics from West Germany, Japan, England, and all over the US. After the memorial service, we went down to Ground Zero. As we were let through the blockades by the police, the crowd of civilians started cheering for us and calling us "heroes". We didn't feel like heroes. We had just done our jobs and wished we could have saved more. At Ground Zero, there was a makeshift memorial set up on the wall of the firehouse that was there. People were leaving their service patches on the wall. As we started cutting our patches off of our uniforms to put up there, I heard a voice say "Hey, brother, can I borrow your knife?" It was a paramedic from California who was there to pay his respects. He cut his patch off of his dress uniform as a gesture of support to the New York City services who lost so many of there members. It was a very emotional scene at Ground Zero.

This experience was profound for me and I have to remember that my students were only 7 or 8 years old when this happened. They don't have the same memories I do. But, they do know about it and I am happy to talk about my experiences during that time.

I feel privileged to have been able to respond to New York City and assist. I will always remember that time and the people I met and how America came together in a time of tragedy. I will never forget my brave brothers from FDNY and EMS and Police that raced to help that day and lost their lives. 

I will also never forget that day or that experience because of the health effects on me. The dust from the collapse and burning of the buildings and aircraft was everywhere. It even got through our masks that we wore. Many rescuers, myself included, got that dust in our lungs. It has affected many and some rescuers have even died from it. I was diagnosed with Reactive Airway Disease, a disease similar to asthma and bronchitis, because of the dust I inhaled while working in NYC after the attacks. I will be on medication for the rest of my life to control the symptoms of the disease. I live with a constant reminder of that day. 

I'd love to hear other people's memories and experiences of that day.

Related Post

http://educationaltechnologyguy.blogspot.com/2009/09/remembering-9-11.html

Great collection of sites about Osama bin Laden, terrorism, and the wars in the Middle East from Larry Ferlazzo.

My Experience as a Paramedic on 9-11-01 - Updated

I am a paramedic and I was an Aerospace Engineer before I became a teacher. On the day after the announcement that Osama bin Laden has been killed by US Military Forces, I would like to share my experience of that event.

I was working at Sikorsky Aircraft in Stratford, CT as an engineer on that day. We started to get information from phone calls and then we all started checking the internet for news. Our security department, which is well trained and armed from having to guard the presidential helicopters, locked down the facility. It turns out later that we were on a target list that the terrorists had. I received a call from American Medical Response (AMR) which is the ambulance service I worked part time for in Bridgeport, CT to report for duty on 9-12-01 to respond to New York City as mutual aid for our New York division. During the whole day of 9-11 though, I felt helpless as I was trained to respond and help but couldn't get there. Not much work got done that day as we all tried to get more information on what happened. As the towers fell, we fell into shock like the rest of the country.

The next day, 9-12-01, I responded with AMR to New York City- we were sending units down from Bridgeport and New Haven to relieve our Long Island and Brooklyn crews that responded as part of the initial mutual aid response. We were escorted by CT and NY state police to the staging area at Chelsea Piers in Manhattan. On the way down, we had people honking and waving at us. As we would drive over the highway bridges in CT we could start to see the smoke from the Towers and realized how bad things were.

While at the Chelsea Piers awaiting an assignment, we saw New Yorkers walking up to the police line with donations of clothing, food, water, and more for all of the people from lower Manhattan who had been evacuated. This out pouring of support never ended. We saw it everywhere. Professional athletes from the Yankees, Mets and other teams also lent a hand at shelters and pitched in where they could.

As we moved from the Chelsea Piers to our assignment at the Staten Island Ferry terminal, we saw the NYPD Academy cadets were out assisting with traffic control and they saluted our convoy of ambulances as we passed by. New Yorkers were out in droves, waving flags and cheering us for coming to help. It was amazing.

Once in NYC, we were split up. 3 crews (myself included) were sent to the Staten Island Ferry terminal, were a triage and treatment center was set up (about 5 blocks from the WTC). We were controlled by a FDNY EMS Lt. She would dispatch us as needed to calls, along with 5 other services that had ambulances there (Jamaica Hosp.EMS, Bellmore Merrick EMS, FDNY EMS, Beth Israel Hosp EMS, and Rocky Hill (NJ) EMS.) The crews were all wonderful and we made some new friends. In between patients and calls, we talked about the difference between NY and CT EMS and told stories. These ambulances  actually covered 911 calls in the area, as well as calls from the disaster site. More than once, an ambulance was sent to the site, only to be turned around because the rescue teams couldn't get to the victims that they knew were there. There wasn't much to do for anyone.

Many FDNY FF's were taking the Staten Island Ferry home, so as they came to the terminal, we checked them over and treated their injuries and rinsed the dust out of their eyes. There were a few nurses and a doctor with us at the site also. We treated lacerations, and rinsed almost everyone's eyes out (the dust was everywhere.) The FF's were all exhausted from long hours of digging. Then the word came, two more buildings were in danger of collapse - and then they collapsed. My partner and I ended up going to that area to evacuate a cancer patient from his apartment (building next to the one that collapsed) and the area looked like a war zone. The building next to us was gone, the one next to that half gone. 8 inches of dust covered everything. National Guard, PD, FBI, Federal Marshalls were everywhere.

Paper and debri for blocks. And more buildings in danger of collapse. PD telling us to be careful getting the patient because of the potential of  more collapses. Everyone wearing HEPA masks because of the dust in the

air. Everyone covered in dust. We transported the patient to Long Island College Hosp in Brooklyn. The staff found out we were from CT and thanked us over and over for coming to help. They had no real information about what was going on because cell phones weren't working well in the area. We had to pass through a check point to get into the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel and the police checked out ambulance in side and out and then we had to go through the same thing to get over the Brooklyn Bridge. It was really weird being the only vehicle in the tunnel or on the bridge.

We then returned to Manhattan and ended up at the WTC site. It was surreal. Two 110 story buildings are now just piles of metal and concrete. I estimated only about 20 people were actually working on the site, most were standing around and waiting for something to do. We were wearing masks at Ground Zero, but noticed that the dust was still getting through the masks. As it turns out, my exposure to the dust has left me with reactive airway disease, which is similar to asthma. Many responders ended up with respiratory diseases from the dust, and no one really knows the long term effects.

We then returned to our staging location, helped more FF's, and finally went home. 

It was an experience none of us will ever forget. FDNY had a good system set up, and they, along with the other NYC services, were extremely nice to us. Businesses were feeding rescuers for free, and churches were setting up food and rest stations for rescuers. The overall feeling was of hope and cooperation.

ices from outside NYC who showed up, and freelanced

It was an experience that has changed me and my outlook on EMS and life. In the middle of all of this tragedy, many good things have happened.

One other thing - there weren't any fighter planes overhead that we could see, but there were multiple helicopters flying around, both for security purposes, and to survey things from the air.

The Coast Guard had Liberty Island completely blocked from all access.

US Marshalls, FBI, National Guard, SWAT, PD were set up everywhere, especially at the Empire State Building, USS Intrepid, and other major points.

I was able to pick up a cell site in New Jersey so I could call my fiancée and let her know that I was ok. There were all kinds of reports of rescuers being hurt, so I was good that I could let her know I was ok. My, now wife, is also in EMS and knew what I was going through, so it was nice to be able to talk to her.

I returned to the City on November 18th, 2001 for the EMS Memorial Service. Eight EMS workers from various agencies lost their lives on 9-11. Many of the police and fire fighters who died were also EMTs and all of us in public safety are a family. The memorial service was held at the Jacob Javitts center in Midtown and was attended by EMS providers from around the world. During the service we met EMTs and paramedics from West Germany, Japan, England, and all over the US. After the memorial service, we went down to Ground Zero. As we were let through the blockades by the police, the crowd of civilians started cheering for us and calling us "heroes". We didn't feel like heroes. We had just done our jobs and wished we could have saved more. At Ground Zero, there was a makeshift memorial set up on the wall of the firehouse that was there. People were leaving their service patches on the wall. As we started cutting our patches off of our uniforms to put up there, I heard a voice say "Hey, brother, can I borrow your knife?" It was a paramedic from California who was there to pay his respects. He cut his patch off of his dress uniform as a gesture of support to the New York City services who lost so many of there members. It was a very emotional scene at Ground Zero.

This experience was profound for me and I have to remember that my students were only 7 or 8 years old when this happened. They don't have the same memories I do. But, they do know about it and I am happy to talk about my experiences during that time.

I feel privileged to have been able to respond to New York City and assist. I will always remember that time and the people I met and how America came together in a time of tragedy. I will never forget my brave brothers from FDNY and EMS and Police that raced to help that day and lost their lives. 

I will also never forget that day or that experience because of the health effects on me. The dust from the collapse and burning of the buildings and aircraft was everywhere. It even got through our masks that we wore. Many rescuers, myself included, got that dust in our lungs. It has affected many and some rescuers have even died from it. I was diagnosed with Reactive Airway Disease, a disease similar to asthma and bronchitis, because of the dust I inhaled while working in NYC after the attacks. I will be on medication for the rest of my life to control the symptoms of the disease. I live with a constant reminder of that day. 

I'd love to hear other people's memories and experiences of that day.

Related Post

http://educationaltechnologyguy.blogspot.com/2009/09/remembering-9-11.html

Great collection of sites about Osama bin Laden, terrorism, and the wars in the Middle East from Larry Ferlazzo.

My experience as a paramedic on 9-11-01

I am a paramedic and I was an Aerospace Engineer before I became a teacher. On the eve of the 9th Anniversary of the 9-11-01 terror attacks on the USA, I decided to share my experience of that event.

I was working at Sikorsky Aircraft in Stratford, CT as an engineer on that day. We started to get information from phone calls and then we all started checking the internet for news. Our security department, which is well trained and armed from having to guard the presidential helicopters, locked down the facility. It turns out later that we were on a target list that the terrorists had. I received a call from American Medical Response (AMR) which is the ambulance service I worked part time for in Bridgeport, CT to report for duty on 9-12-01 to respond to New York City as mutual aid for our New York division. During the whole day of 9-11 though, I felt helpless as I was trained to respond and help but couldn't get there. Not much work got done that day as we all tried to get more information on what happened. As the towers fell, we fell into shock like the rest of the country.

The next day, 9-12-01, I responded with AMR to New York City- we were sending units down from Bridgeport and New Haven to relieve our Long Island and Brooklyn crews that responded as part of the initial mutual aid response. We were escorted by CT and NY state police to the staging area at Chelsea Piers in Manhattan. On the way down, we had people honking and waving at us. As we would drive over the highway bridges in CT we could start to see the smoke from the Towers and realized how bad things were.

While at the Chelsea Piers awaiting an assignment, we saw New Yorkers walking up to the police line with donations of clothing, food, water, and more for all of the people from lower Manhattan who had been evacuated. This out pouring of support never ended. We saw it everywhere. Professional athletes from the Yankees, Mets and other teams also lent a hand at shelters and pitched in where they could.

As we moved from the Chelsea Piers to our assignment at the Staten Island Ferry terminal, we saw the NYPD Academy cadets were out assisting with traffic control and they saluted our convoy of ambulances as we passed by. New Yorkers were out in droves, waving flags and cheering us for coming to help. It was amazing.

Once in NYC, we were split up. 3 crews (myself included) were sent to the Staten Island Ferry terminal, were a triage and treatment center was set up (about 5 blocks from the WTC). We were controlled by a FDNY EMS Lt. She would dispatch us as needed to calls, along with 5 other services that had ambulances there (Jamaica Hosp.EMS, Bellmore Merrick EMS, FDNY EMS, Beth Israel Hosp EMS, and Rocky Hill (NJ) EMS.) The crews were all wonderful and we made some new friends. In between patients and calls, we talked about the difference between NY and CT EMS and told stories. These ambulances  actually covered 911 calls in the area, as well as calls from the disaster site. More than once, an ambulance was sent to the site, only to be turned around because the rescue teams couldn't get to the victims that they knew were there. There wasn't much to do for anyone.

Many FDNY FF's were taking the Staten Island Ferry home, so as they came to the terminal, we checked them over and treated their injuries and rinsed the dust out of their eyes. There were a few nurses and a doctor with us at the site also. We treated lacerations, and rinsed almost everyone's eyes out (the dust was everywhere.) The FF's were all exhausted from long hours of digging. Then the word came, two more buildings were in danger of collapse - and then they collapsed. My partner and I ended up going to that area to evacuate a cancer patient from his apartment (building next to the one that collapsed) and the area looked like a war zone. The building next to us was gone, the one next to that half gone. 8 inches of dust covered everything. National Guard, PD, FBI, Federal Marshalls were everywhere.

Paper and debri for blocks. And more buildings in danger of collapse. PD telling us to be careful getting the patient because of the potential of  more collapses. Everyone wearing HEPA masks because of the dust in the
air. Everyone covered in dust. We transported the patient to Long Island College Hosp in Brooklyn. The staff found out we were from CT and thanked us over and over for coming to help. They had no real information about what was going on because cell phones weren't working well in the area. We had to pass through a check point to get into the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel and the police checked out ambulance in side and out and then we had to go through the same thing to get over the Brooklyn Bridge. It was really weird being the only vehicle in the tunnel or on the bridge.

We then returned to Manhattan and ended up at the WTC site. It was surreal. Two 110 story buildings are now just piles of metal and concrete. I estimated only about 20 people were actually working on the site, most were standing around and waiting for something to do. We were wearing masks at Ground Zero, but noticed that the dust was still getting through the masks. As it turns out, my exposure to the dust has left me with reactive airway disease, which is similar to asthma. Many responders ended up with respiratory diseases from the dust, and no one really knows the long term effects.

We then returned to our staging location, helped more FF's, and finally went home. 

It was an experience none of us will ever forget. FDNY had a good system set up, and they, along with the other NYC services, were extremely nice to us. Businesses were feeding rescuers for free, and churches were setting up food and rest stations for rescuers. The overall feeling was of hope and cooperation.
ices from outside NYC who showed up, and freelanced

It was an experience that has changed me and my outlook on EMS and life. In the middle of all of this tragedy, many good things have happened.

One other thing - there weren't any fighter planes overhead that we could see, but there were multiple helicopters flying around, both for security purposes, and to survey things from the air.

The Coast Guard had Liberty Island completely blocked from all access.

US Marshalls, FBI, National Guard, SWAT, PD were set up everywhere, especially at the Empire State Building, USS Intrepid, and other major points.

I was able to pick up a cell site in New Jersey so I could call my fiancée and let her know that I was ok. There were all kinds of reports of rescuers being hurt, so I was good that I could let her know I was ok. My, now wife, is also in EMS and knew what I was going through, so it was nice to be able to talk to her.

I returned to the City on November 18th, 2001 for the EMS Memorial Service. Eight EMS workers from various agencies lost their lives on 9-11. Many of the police and fire fighters who died were also EMTs and all of us in public safety are a family. The memorial service was held at the Jacob Javitts center in Midtown and was attended by EMS providers from around the world. During the service we met EMTs and paramedics from West Germany, Japan, England, and all over the US. After the memorial service, we went down to Ground Zero. As we were let through the blockades by the police, the crowd of civilians started cheering for us and calling us "heroes". We didn't feel like heroes. We had just done our jobs and wished we could have saved more. At Ground Zero, there was a makeshift memorial set up on the wall of the firehouse that was there. People were leaving their service patches on the wall. As we started cutting our patches off of our uniforms to put up there, I heard a voice say "Hey, brother, can I borrow your knife?" It was a paramedic from California who was there to pay his respects. He cut his patch off of his dress uniform as a gesture of support to the New York City services who lost so many of there members. It was a very emotional scene at Ground Zero.


This experience was profound for me and I have to remember that my students were only 7 or 8 years old when this happened. They don't have the same memories I do. But, they do know about it and I am happy to talk about my experiences during that time.

I feel privileged to have been able to respond to New York City and assist. I will always remember that time and the people I met and how America came together in a time of tragedy.

I'd love to hear other people's memories and experiences of that day.


Related Post
http://educationaltechnologyguy.blogspot.com/2009/09/remembering-9-11.html