America's finest

America's finest
New York firefighters, police did the nation proud

September 18, 2001

To run from danger is a normal human response. But when terrorists struck the World Trade Center on Tuesday, hundreds of New York City firefighters and police defied their instincts and converged on the scene of the disaster.

Their courage stands as an example for the nation. But we should also look beyond their bravery and take note of their purpose and numbers. They not only showed America at its best, they showed America as it is.

The men and women who responded to the first alarms Tuesday probably considered themselves ordinary Americans. Certainly, they were not motivated by any desire for glory or fame. They had a job to do.

They went to help. They put their lives on the line in an effort to save others. And, they knew the risks.

All rescue personnel understand the hazards of their work, and surely no one knows the particular dangers involved with high-rise buildings better than New York City firefighters. They knew that the millions of tons of concrete and steel above them had been damaged. They knew what can happen when fire weakens a structure’s supports. They knew about toxic chemicals and fumes, about being trapped in rubble or cut off by flames.

Still they went, right to the base of the skyscrapers and even inside the damaged buildings. And, when the twin towers collapsed — when two of the world’s biggest buildings fell on them — thousands of others rushed to their aid.

The firefighters and police lost at the World Trade Center did not perish a handful at a time. Whole battalions were taken at once. As of Saturday, some 350 New York City firefighters were counted as dead or missing. So, too, were about 40 New York police officers and another 30 from the city’s Port Authority police.

The body count is 30 times the city’s previous worst-day toll. Among the fallen are three of the fire department’s top chiefs and its chaplain, the Rev. Mychal Judge.

The loss is beyond comprehension, but it comes with one comforting realization: There are more where they came from. In New York, in Durango, in every town and city in the United States, there are men and women like them standing ready to help — to run toward the danger, not away.

They have particular reason to empathize with New York’s loss, and even more reason to share in the nation’s pride.