9/11/2001— We Promised We’d Never Forget
8:46 a.m. – Battalion Chief Joseph Pfeiffer witnesses the first plane, Flight 11, slamming into the North Tower. He immediately dispatches a second alarm and a third alarm while enroute. A typical second alarm to a high-rise building deploys 19 pieces of apparatus and 11 chiefs. That is in addition to the original alarm which is generally the same amount.
Considering an average of four firefighters and one officer per apparatus, there are now approximately 90-100 firefighters on scene…and the time they have left on this earth is dwindling.
With every minute more firefighters are ascending the stairs of the North Tower to answer the calls for injured and trapped civilians… and the time they have left on this earth is dwindling.
9:03 a.m. – Flight 175 crashes into the South Tower at such an angle that it takes out eight floors. The terror of those people who had been at the opposite side of the building watching the chaos unfold at the high-rise building next to them with a plane hurdling towards them from behind.
For the next 56 minutes, hundreds of firefighters were scrambling up 70+ stories with heavy gear and without radio communications as to the worsening situation…and the time they have left on this earth is dwindling.
9:37 a.m. – Flight 77 crashes into the Pentagon
9:59 a.m. – When WTC-2 collapsed, even the Command Post in WTC-1 did not realize what exactly had happened; many believed that a partial collapse or the elevators within WTC-1 had occurred. All they knew was that a blinding and darkening debris cloud had enveloped them. Their very brothers, both in relation and on the job had just been decimated under thousands of tons of concrete, jet fuel, steel, glass, and office debris. When the evacuation order was issued, most did not hear it for poor radio operations; although I firmly believe that these heroic men would not have left knowing there were people who needed them…and the time they have left on this earth is dwindling.
10:03 a.m. – Flight 93 crashed into a quiet field in Shanksville, PA. The passengers, who knew of the attacks on our nation through phone calls and knew that no rescue was possible for them; instead rescued the people at the unknown target by attacking the attackers in true American fashion.
10:29 a.m. – WTC-1 collapsed bringing all hope for rescues to an end. Our nation’s heart broke as we witnessed the mass killing of innocent and heroic Americans.
Some facts that you may not have heard for us to remember:
•414—The number of first responders killed on September 11, 2001.
•2,000—The number of first responders injured
•91,000—The number of liters of jet fuel combusted in the attacks.
•2,518—The number of firefighters/EMT’s who have cancer from responding (and growing)
•1,691—The number of firefighters and police officers who have died since 9/11 from illness contracted at the site.
We as a nation promised we wouldn’t forget. 17 years later the images have dulled our senses, the songs that broke our hearts have faded…but why? We have allowed it. Please do not forget the sacrifices that were made that day. Please do not forget how we came together as a nation to fight back against a threat whose purpose was to destroy us.
Please do not forget how our brothers and sisters gave their lives to save others. No matter who you vote for or what side of the aisle you align with…we are all Americans. We are all neighbors. Please do not forget. You promised.
