Impact of Sept. 11 on San Lorenzo's First Responders

While swarms of people fled from the collapsing Twin Towers on Sept. 11, 2001, they seemed to be only few rushing towards the crumbling buildings.

These firefighters, who were first responders along with police officers and paramedics, are seen as heroes — more so on that day than any other.

A total of 343 firefighters and paramedics lost their lives that day, according to New York magazine. However, their memory lives on among the firefighters at Alameda County Fire Department's Station 22 in San Lorenzo.

Though they may not have known these heroes personally, the local firefighters share a profession and a belief in putting others' lives before their own. They have hung a replica of the Flag of Honor in the station's fitness room.

Patch spoke with Capt. Ramsey Islmail, engineer D'Marcus Cooper, and firefighter Nathan Mar about the impact that 9/11 had on them as a firefighters.

Patch: Where were you on Sept. 11, 2001?

Capt. Ramsey Ismail: I was in staging waiting to respond with a strike team of companies from Alameda County to the 'Flume Fire' in Calaveras County. That was a  wild land fire awaiting additional resources.

D'Marcus Cooper: At the time of the tragedy I was 19. I was attending a history class. I overheard conversation of what had happened but I didn't understand the gravity of the situation until I began watching the news reports when I reached home.

Nathan Mar: I woke up in the morning and life was great. It was a Tuesday—the first few weeks of my senior year of high school. I had just put some toast in the toaster for breakfast and turned on the TV. The news was on, and I couldn’t really figure out what exactly I was looking at.

Patch: What was your reaction when it all occurred?

RI: We all thought the first tower strike was an accident, not even knowing it was a jumbo jet. We heard it over the radio and were under the impression it was a small plane. When the second tower was hit we knew differently.

We all got very concerned and there was an eerie silence in staging, and while en route to our fire. We were all worried about how many possible casualties there would be to civilians, and how many firemen would perish as well.

DC: Days after the initial shock, once I had taken in many of the reports, I had feelings of profound grief. This intense sadness I felt was not only for those that had been lost during this terrible event but also for those who would never see those loved ones ever again, taken from them without warning.

NM: I stared at the TV confused, trying to figure out if this was something real, or if I was watching a preview for a new movie. My mom was up also, and I asked her to come see what I was seeing. The reporters were just as confused as we were. They said it was a small accidental plane crash, but there was so much fire, smoke and other damage that I thought otherwise.

I ate my breakfast and continued to watch the story develop. Then I saw the second plane suddenly roaring into view of the camera and right at the South Tower! It came in so incredibly fast and unexpectedly and produced a massive explosion.

I felt sick to my stomach and numb. It was now obvious that this wasn’t an accident. I couldn’t imagine how many innocent people had just been killed. I kept watching the TV and was a little bit late to school. We didn’t really do anything in my classes that day but watch the TV.

To explain how I felt when the North, then the South Tower collapsed is difficult to put into words. You could write a whole book about it. The worst tragedy I had ever seen in my short life.

How many people were lost? Thousands? Would there be more attacks? Would we be going to war and against who? I must have watched replays of the impact and collapse a thousand times in the following weeks, and a thousand more times in head.

I felt so much sorrow for all of the civilians and rescuers killed, and even more so for their families and friends. I couldn’t imagine such a horrific thing would ever happen in our great country.

Patch: How has Sept. 11 changed you as a person? As a firefighter?

RI: Personal and professional change have been minimal. We train and respond at a heightened level of awareness. We are more alert to what may be out there to cause harm to our community and our crews regarding incident types and causes/origin.

DC: As a person, what took place that day has brought to the forefront of my mind just how precious and fleeting life can be. Live to the fullest and cherish those around you. As a firefighter, I can only strive to live up to the bravery and selflessness shown by all of those who gave their lives to help others despite such overwhelming odds.

NM: In the short term, I felt a little less safe in public areas. I thought about how easy it would be for terrorists to carry out so many different types of attacks in America. I tried to always be aware of my surroundings and found myself thinking about attacks that could happen and what I could do to stop them.

Turns out, it sparked a 10-year war that is still going. Our way of life in America — the freedom, opportunity, safety and security we have — is similar to only a handful of other countries. Some of that was stolen from all Americans that day. And there are still thousands of people in the world that would love for that to happen again.

As years passed, and I worked toward becoming a firefighter, I thought how lucky we were that nothing else has happened like that since then. And now 10 years later, still nothing has happened. I’d like to thank the United States military for that, and everyone that works to help keep our country safe.

America is full of brave, helping people, soldiers, firefighters, police, volunteers, and your next-door neighbors that will help each other out when it matters most. I am proud to be an American and a firefighter.