Vandy’s Story
As I watched the second plane hit the tower on September 11th, 2001; I knew it wasn’t an accident. I packed my stuff, and I knew I was going. My service as a member of Colorado Task Force 1 defines my 9/11 story.
Colorado Task Force One is a multi-agency team of first responders that was assembled following the 1985 Mexico City earthquake and the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake; exposing a need for a national and international response force.
The taskforce’s original mission was to respond to natural disasters and perform search-and-rescue operations, but the mission expanded following the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing to include response to man-made disasters. Poudre Fire Authority has been part of this national team since the inception, and we are still a major part of it today. When we get the order, we assemble, mobilize, and are enroute to a disaster anywhere in the nation within six hours.
As a Lieutenant at the Longmont Fire Department in September of 2001, I served alongside seven PFA firefighters as a member of CO Task Force 1. I formally received activation orders and was soon on my way to assist with search, rescue and recovery at ground zero in New York City. The morning we left, my wife told me she was proud of me and to be careful. This support, and the support of my home department, gave me the strength I needed to do my job.
We landed at Fort Dix, New Jersey, and from there we moved into New York. As we entered the city, a large plume of smoke was still emitting from the collapse area. The buildings that were left standing had impaled pieces of the towers in and through the structures and some of them were still smoldering from the fires. Destroyed fire apparatus sat crumbled on the streets, the streets which they had once protected. Firefighters were climbing over, and around the pile, like ants working non-stop. I remember looking into the eyes of the FDNY firefighters. I saw their pain and felt it in my heart.
We worked on the pile and assisted FDNY for eleven days. Those eleven days felt, in some ways, like one long day; and in other ways, like a month. Firefighters worked day or night shifts. Longmont Fire and Denver Fire worked nights, PFA and West Metro Fire crews worked days. We used torches and cutting tools to carefully remove debris without collapsing anything and lifted pieces out using large cranes. We would find a void and crawl through looking for anything we could find.
I remember the kindness of New Yorkers who stood outside the events center, that housed the visiting response teams, thanking us for our help. I recognized Loretta Jane Swit, who played Margret Houlihan in “M*A*S*H, among them and even got a hug.
I think I’ve always carried my deployment to ground zero in a positive way even though it was a tragedy. I have conflicting emotions. I am so proud to have served our country in this time of need, but also saddened by what I experienced.The attacks took 2,996 lives, including 8 EMS workers, 23 New York city police officers, 37 Port Authority officers and 343 firefighters on that day. I’m committed to making sure that this sacrifice is not forgotten.