There is an emergency in New York as confrontational for all firefighters as anything that has happened in the last twenty-six months. In trying to find an adequate way to memorialize the immensity of Sept. 11, 2001, our leaders have failed.
After four months of meetings so secret that even the members of the CIA would be impressed, the eight designs selected as finalists were released on November 19th, and it is clear that the foundation of what we thought should be has collapsed before the first contract is signed.
In considering these designs that are supposed to memorialize the tragedy and the heroism of Ground Zero, the striking aspect is their dull sameness. They are like huge weeping-room chapels set aside in a modern convention center.
The jury, 13 good and faithful human beings, volunteered long hours to study more than 5,000 submissions, but their choices show a limited imagination and no understanding of how the fire service feels about that day. We are used to difficult times and many disappointments in the fire service, and perhaps we shouldn
