DENNIS SMITH
Firehouse Magazine Founding Editor
Also: Exclusive Excerpts from 'Report from Ground Zero'
When, thirty years ago, an editor from a major publishing house called to
ask if I would be interested in writing a book about firefighting, I thought
of myself as an honored young man of 29. I had written a letter about Irish
poetry that had been published in the New York Times Book Review, and I was
fortunate that an editor of The New Yorker had seen it and assigned a writer
to interview me for the "Talk of the Town" section of the magazine.
The article was published under the heading of "Fireman Smith," and I was
again most fortunate in that it was noticed by an editor at a publishing
company, who then thought to ask me to write a book about the work that we
performed in the world's busiest firehouse. That book, Report from Engine
Co. 82, went on to become a bestseller, and was translated into thirteen
languages.
Now, after having spent three months writing Report from Ground Zero, I
again feel most honored, but not because I was asked to write this book. The
honor has come in the experience of Ground Zero.
On September 11, 2001, several firefighters and I had commandeered a city
bus after the South Tower had collapsed, and we made our way over to the
fire department's staging area on West 67th Street. As we headed down the
West Side highway, a lieutenant, Ray Wick, rose and stood in the middle of
the bus. "Brothers," he said, "we'll see things today we shouldn't have to
see, and there will be things we might think we should attend to, but listen
up. Whatever we decide to do we'll do it together. We'll be together, and
we'll all come back together, boys."
This was the first indication that I was among exceptional men.
We arrived at ground zero just minutes after the collapse of the north
tower. Men and women were still walking in dazed circles, and being directed
to safety by first responders. It was cloudy with the thick and choking
smoke of collapse, and we could see perhaps a half block in front of us, on
this, one of the clearest days of the year.
Walking down West Street was like walking on a peculiar beach where each
step kicked up a small, floating cloud of gray powder. There were hundreds
of thousands of sheets of paper scattered everywhere, as if each piece of
correspondence was a leaf on the ground of a woods in a northeast November.
It was quiet, except for the voices of firefighters calling out for victims,
for the survivors, for anyone. The managing chiefs of the fire department
were huddled together in a spontaneous conference at a spontaneously
organized command post. In such circumstances, the post was nothing more
than the huddle itself, and these brave men immediately realized what was
confronting them, and the great tragedy they were living through as each
second passed.
There they are, Chief Nigro, Chief Callan, Chief Hayden, Chief Visconti, and
the others, all coming to terms with the horrible fact that the Chief of
Department and the First Deputy Commissioner of the fire department, Pete
Ganci and Bill Feehan, have been killed, and recognizing that the management
of the worst attack in our history is up to them.
At first, I had no intention of writing about what I was living through. My
only reason for being present at the site of the World Trade Center was to
add a hand, to search for survivors, to fight the fires, to pull hose and
lift debris.
A few days later I wrote an article for the New York Times Op-ed Page. It
mentioned the names of friends who were lost, and the desolation we all felt
in the midst of devastation.
Every firefighter and police officer and Port
Authority police officer sensed in those first days that there would be
survivors, that a piece of steel would be lifted and a crowded elevator of
still living victims would be discovered, that buried voices from among the
first responders, 343 firefighters, 23 police officers, and 37 Port
Authority police officers would be heard - 401 men and 2 women. But there
was only silence, and an occasional body.
In time, the mission changed from search and rescue to search and recover,
and then every body found, full or partial, seemed a victory. Even today,
going on six months later, there are almost two thousand victims who have
not yet been discovered, and the chances of discovering them diminishes
every passing day. The site will probably be cleared completely in May.
The site may be cleared, but the memory and the day-to-day effect of that
most murderous attack on innocent Americans has not been cleared in any way.
The events of September 11th are omnipresent in American life, and will be
for some time in our future. They remind us daily of our need to be resolute
and vigilant in fighting terrorism from wherever it emanates.
But, I have not written Report from Ground Zero to remind us of the
consequence of evil. Rather, my aim has been to record the acts of great men
and women, men and women who have given more than anyone had a right to ask
them to give, and the courage and determination of the families they left
behind.
It was written to show the world how the character of hard-working
Americans at ground zero has solidified the will of an entire country. And,
it is written to remind us of how the courage and determination of a few can
inspire a whole world to think about peace, and how we must stand firm in
its defense.
About the Author - Dennis Smith
Dennis Smith is the founding editor of Firehouse Magazine and the best selling author of
Report From Engine Co. 82 and other books. He has completed the federal Series 7, Series
63 and Series 65 exams and is a licensed financial advisor. Dennis Smith will be providing
some financial insight beginning with the January issue of Firehouse Magazine, as well as
authoring regular on-line commentary for Firehouse.com.
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