Nine, one, one; Nine hundred and eleven; Nine eleven. Amazing how three digits in the English language evoke different emotions depending on how you say them. Now, we must be careful not to say “call nine, one, one” within artificial earshot of an Alexa device. A knock on the door from a friendly policeman could result. At least, for the time being, it will be a real person who might be sympathetic to our explanation rather than Robo-cop from the future.
If you are over 45, the words “nine, eleven” flash back to a time and a place: September 11, 2001. I am old enough to be able to answer two questions:
Where were you when the announced J.F. Kennedy’s assassination?
Where was I when the TV stations all turned cameras to watch the twin towers billow smoke and collapse?
The first answer is, on my grade school playground in 1963. I remember being upset, even though I vaguely knew the name of our president. Days later we all stayed home to watch the funeral procession on our black and white television.
On 9/11/2001, I was opening at work and someone called to me over to see the news program across the hall. We stood mesmerized by the images. The top of the North Tower was engulfed in black smoke like a shiny emergency flare. We watched, as cameras recorded the second plane hitting the other tower. Those few moments were replayed over and over, as was the collapse, hours later.
We worked the whole day, but in the background was more horror and confusion as authorities released information on damage at the Pentagon and a fourth hijacked airliner crashing in a Pennsylvania field. Aviation was grounded all over America.
After days of rehashing the sequence of events, estimates of innocent lives lost and rescue efforts, psychiatrists recommended not letting children be continually exposed to the images of the terrorist attacks. Schools were reporting a rise in anger and violent behavior.
It is in the past now. A memorial was erected in New York City, a new tourist attraction with sad emotions pervading it. One of the commissions studying 9/11 recommended that a new emergency response organization be created. One that would be trained to handle future catastrophic events.
New York City created the FDNY Incident Management Team that pulled together firefighters from all five boroughs. They wisely modeled their team structure on existing national Complex Incident Management Teams (CIMT). One of those national teams had responded to the call for help during the chaos following 9/11.
I met one of those team members this month. She was working with CIM Team 1, here in Meeker. It still bothers her to talk about her experiences in 2001.
Later, after shadowing and training with teams handling wildland firefighters, the FNDY team became proficient in handling wildland fires, nuclear hazmat, and flooding. Every year since then, the FDNY Incident Team feels compelled to help others outside NYC. They send out a small portion of their active personnel to be part of the national CIMT.
If you have ever talked to a NYC native, you will understand that they are way outside their comfort zone. Some worked 16 and 18 hour days containing the last of the Lee Fire here.
On Aug. 25, the FDNY Incident Team took over for the Northern Rockies Complex Incident Team 1, completing a circle.
When New York City called for help, a CIMT responded in their time of need. Now the New York firefighters were paying back the favor from 9/11.
Someday, our chance will come in Meeker to pay it back. Are we ready and willing to get outside our comfort zone to do it?