9/11, Ten Years Later: Impact Still Strong For Local Firefighters

It was nearly 10 years ago, but Robert Krauss still remembers sitting in his freshman algebra class in high school when he heard news of the attack on the World Trade Center.

Eight years later he found himself in the middle of the war wrought by those attacks, as he departed for an 11-month mission in Afghanistan to work at a trauma center.

“We saw casualties from all over,” he said.

A firefighter since 2006, Krauss and his fellow firefighters with the North Shore Fire Department felt a certain connection with the fall of the World Trade Center, even from nearly 900 miles away.

Every year, they gather around the flagpole and have a moment of silence to reflect on the 343 firefighters who lost their lives.

“I personally think it’s important for whoever — whether they are a firefighter or not — to revisit something from that day, whether it be a video clips or an article, just to remember those people, to keep that fresh in our minds,” firefighter Cal Chapman said.

The firefighters remember thinking the New York firefighters would be able to control the fire, but they soon realized the severity of the situation when they heard a familiar sound: the squealing of Personal Alert Safety Systems devices.

The devices sound when the firefighter has not moved, indicating they might be trapped or in trouble. When they heard dozens of PASS devices in the background of news reports, it hit home in a way that Lt. Pete Busalacchi said civilians didn't understand.

"When you heard that on TV, the normal citizen probably had no idea what that meant unless the reporter told them. But we pick up on it — it's kind of a universal sound,” Busalacchi said. “You knew firefighters were gone, but when you hear the PASS devices, it just represents that death and that's hard."

The visuals of the terrorist attack also changed the way they felt about their profession.

"I always had an image of firefighters being invincible and strong," firefighter Mark Stampfl said. "Whenever you see fire engines, they are always clean and shiny. I don't think I've ever seen them covered in ashes and debris like that before."

Those memories will come flooding back this weekend, when the firefighters find themselves gathered around the flag pole again. Although the memories can be painful – if even for a little bit – the firefighters at Station 2 in Glendale feel it's the least they can do to honor their fallen brothers and sisters in firefighting.

“You always see the bumper sticker that says 'We will never forget',” Chapman said. "Well, people forget. But for at least one day out of the year, it’s nice to revisit that and respect all those that lost their lives.”