I recently received a telephone call from newly promoted FDNY Deputy Assistant Chief of Operations Joseph W. Pfiefer, who was the first-to-arrive chief at the World Trade Center on 9/11/01. He has been working with newly promoted Assistant Chief of Operations Peter E. Hayden to develop a one-page guide to "High-Rise Risk Assessment and Management." They have graciously offered the guide to us for all the fire service to see. See page 48.
There have been many questions as to what the procedures should be - should we assign firefighters to firefighting and rescue? If there is another attack, this guide is the first step in giving incident commanders the help they need to identify and then manage the hazards of a terrorist attack. It's a whole new world out there. Those fire officers in charge have to operate much differently than they did in the past. As we have learned from the past, lives depend on it.
On page 44 we feature a report by Jeff Kaplan on the difficult job of decontaminating those who were at "ground zero" and were transported to New Jersey. This report focuses on another piece of the multi-faceted operation that required support and logistics on a size and scale never before attempted. There are many lessons to be learned from this exercise.
Speaking of the past, the federal legislation providing line-of-duty benefits had not included heart attacks in the compensation to families of firefighters who made the supreme sacrifice. Representative Bob Etheridge of North Carolina has introduced H.R. 5334 to the U.S. House of Representatives. This bill closes the loophole in these firefighter death benefits that excluded heart attacks as a covered benefit. This bill goes on to state that not only heart attacks during duty hours would be covered, but also that occur within 24 hours of duty and training exercises. This is a bill that each and every one of us should support strongly, since 40% of firefighter line-of-duty deaths over the past 10 years have been due to heart attacks. At this time, the bill is in the House Committee for the Judiciary. Please take time to write the members of the committee and express your support for this bill.
The first anniversary of the 9/11/01 terrorist attack has passed. There were ceremonies and moments of silence across the county. The tragic events of the day have not only brought the country, but the fire service together. In my travels I saw a Los Angeles County engine company painted, lettered and striped exactly like an FDNY pumper. The unit was to travel to each company to show respect. In San Diego I saw shirts and stickers honoring the FDNY. In North Carolina, the Charlotte rescue truck had FDNY lettered on the front. In my own fire department in New Jersey, stickers with FDNY and 9/11 adorn the apparatus.
These incidents have brought thousands of firefighters across the country to New York for funeral and services. Shortly, the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation will hold its annual ceremony. Normally held at the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, MD, this year the solemn ceremonies will be held in Washington, D.C. because of the large number who made the supreme sacrifice. The following week, a special ceremony will be held in Madison Square Garden in New York City. Thanks to all those who supported the FDNY in the last few months and those who will travel to participate in these special events to show their support.
Also in this issue we feature our 14th annual "Volunteer Run Survey," focusing attention on the contributions and sacrifices made by America's volunteer firefighters. Our compilation of statistics featuring runs, staffing, budgets and apparatus may be found on page 51. We also focus attention on rapid intervention teams specifically in volunteer departments, and highlight the differences between teams made up of career and volunteer members, particularly regarding training and resource priorities.
From Canada, we report on "The Anatomy of a Tragedy" that nearly cost a firefighter his life. See "Close Calls" on page 80. Tragedy knows no boundaries.
