Public Safety: Do I Remember?

By Chief Tim Prather

On September 11, 2001, I woke up, got dressed, said goodbye to my family, and reported for duty — a duty in which even on a regular day offers no guarantee I would return home that night. All public safety employees leave home each day knowing the risks.

Nothing was out of the ordinary when I arrived at the fire station to begin preparations for my 24-hour shift. My crew and I quickly finished up our morning breakfast and began checking our trucks. We were in the truck bay when the phone rang. My sergeant hung up the phone and told me that Station 1 just called and said New York has a high-rise structure fire taking place, and it’s live on television.

Since we had just finished up our truck checks, we went inside and turned on the television to see one of the Twin Towers on fire near its top, with thick black smoke billowing from the floors. For a short while, we discussed the fire and wondered about the tactics that the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) was using to get up to the fire. It was something that none of us had previously battled, or would probably ever have to battle.

While we were watching the live footage, we saw an aircraft strike the second tower. I remember shaking my head in disbelief and asking, “Did y’all see that? Was that a plane that just hit the other tower?” As the minutes and hours progressed, I remember feeling nauseous listening to the beginning of talk of “terrorism.” I could not imagine terrorism of that magnitude on American soil.

Then, reports began coming in about the other attempts to terrorize our nation using hijacked airplanes. For the rest of our 24-hour shift, there was a feeling of uncertainty. We received orders to lock down our fire station, which created a sense of fear in what was normally our safe haven — a place firefighters didn’t leave except for emergencies or to go home at the end of their shifts. During this time, there was a concern that public safety organizations might be attacked.

Twenty years later, what happened on September 11, 2001, remains a vivid memory that I will have for the rest of my life. We were left with a feeling of helplessness. A coordinated attack was carried out on the grounds of our great nation, and no one saw it coming, which created a fear that can only be compared to what Americans felt after the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941.

That day changed everyone’s lives. It was a day that 343 of my brothers and sisters in public safety did not return home to their families. A day when people filled our nation’s churches to pray for our country and for those who lost their lives. A day that whenever I’m asked, “Do you remember,” I always answer, “Yes ma’am/sir, I remember well — and will never forget!”