Introduction
The terrorism attack on New York City on 11 September 2001 is a past history that remained personal to every firefighter in terms of saving of lives despite what would occur. On that particular day, two paramedics, three hundred and forty firefighters and one FDNY chaplain died while trying to save lives. The terrorism episode necessitated the Firefighters Department of New York (FDNY) to heighten their fire fighting strategies in order to manage to respond to everything ranging from radioactive, biological and chemical fire sniper attacks (Frawley, 2012). The attack necessitated the firefighters to widen their crackdown and skills of fighting fires of such magnitude and to look beyond fighting the fires but to have the skills of predicting the future attacks which might necessitate them to respond on time. The research will demonstrate the effect of the September 11 attack on the New York City firefighters.
The effect of the September 11 attack on the New York City firefighters
The September 11 attack revealed to the firefighters and the Americans that ideas and terrorism might swift quickly across the continents and the world. It was a clear indication that the terrorists have the power and ability to use lethal devices which borrows their technology from the bomb departments to cause harm, property destruction and lives of the citizens (Niles, et al. 2011). Nonetheless, the work of the firefighters in United States and in particular those of the New York City have not yet changed much since the attack. The role of the firefighters still remains to putting out the fires and getting the victims of the attack to hospitals. Despite this, there have been fundamental changes in attitude of the firefighters, sheriff officers, police and emergency medical personnel. The firefighters have been necessitated to understand that it is not whether the attack shall happen but be aware of when it shall happen.
Although the United States firefighters, emergency medical personnel and officers have made great achievements in preparing for the terrorist attacks, there still remain substantial changes to be made in the department. As a matter of fact, the firefights communication with other agencies needs to improve in regard to responding to the large scale incidents (Mantel, 2010). Given the mass casualties in 9/11 attacks, the firefighters and other agencies have been able to receive advanced training in order for them to acquire the awareness and the skills to tackle the attacks of such magnitude. In addition, the firefighters managed to obtain better equipment for responding to the terrorist attacks. The fact that most of the firefighters who participated in the rescue process of the victims of the 9/11 attacks were not well prepared of attack of such magnitude, most of them began to exhibit consistent signs and symptoms of respiratory challenges. The signs and symptoms faced by the firefighters ranged from general cough to severe distress.
After the attack, most of the firefighters together with the other first responders of the attack continued to suffer from the psychological trauma and respiratory ailments. The September 11 attack was heartbreaking in numerous ways. Apart from lack of equipment and supplies and communication challenges, the firefighters sprung in action to respond to the attack by doing whatever they could in aid of the victims around the Washington DC Times Tower (Scoppetta, 2015). As a result of the firefighters’ response to the attack and their love for their job, they developed health problems which hindered them from going back to their work. Other returned to their stations but they were unable to continue with their mission and work and had to opt for early retirement. The forced early retirement of the firemen who participated in the rescue process in the September 11 attack turned their life upside down. In order for them to cope up with life they were necessitated to adjust their lifestyle as most health condition had already been affected by the dust from the blast while others had already been made disabled.
The tragedy of September 11 made the firefighters to be vigilant always and to consistently train harder in order to acquire the modern training and skills of tacking the terrorism attack. They realized that every procedure they carried during the attack had it own experience (Scoppetta, 2015). They also came to realize that the more than anything, the quality of skill of the colleagues determines the extent or the quality of response require for an attack of high magnitude. The attack educated the firemen that fighting the attack is not about the people working in the fire department but is all about the love of the firefighting job, risking their lives and saving the lives of the victims.
Due to uncoordinated cooperation and communication among the firefighters and other agencies which participated in the rescue mission in 9/11 attack, the aftermath of the attack which led to the death of many firefighters necessitated and motivated them to observe the public safety by improving their interactions. The firefighters today are required to adopt and use common radio language in case of an emergency in order to avoid them from suffering from the health and psychological challenges. The September 11 attack provided a good opportunity for the firefighters to recognize the chemical threat and homemade explosives and to determine how events in other states might affect them (Scoppetta, 2015). Given that the September 11 was not the first terrorism attack in the American soil; the firefighters were made to understand that any disruption of relationship across that globe might be exposed to United States. Therefore, the firefighters in United States were necessitated to learn every emerging technology in order to be in a better position to react to the terrorist just in case of an attack. The firefighters came to learn the significance of sharing security information despite how insignificant they might seem at the first glance.
The impact of the September 11 attack was a wakeup call for the firefighters because they were forced acquire firefighting equipment and trucks equipped with radiation detection devices prior to entering a zone of attack characterized with radiation unknowingly. Installing the devices in these trucks and firefighting equipments enabled them to set up the safety zones (Mantel, 2010). Moreover, the attack also taught the firefighters how to get access to the back-up gear which contain fundamentals such as chemical protective clothing and air purifying respirator which would basically protect them from injuries and enable them save lives of the victims. The 9/11 attack change everyone, it change the way the Americans did things, the way they though and dramatically the way the safety department viewed the fire department.
The firefighters are still concerned with the potential harm and symptoms they acquired while rescuing the victims of the September 11 attacks. The recent study revealed that the Ground Zero air contained more than four hundred chemicals which damaged the lungs of more than 12,000 firefighters. The attack necessitated the Fire Department in New York to increase its funding to the firefighters after it realized that they were facing huge risk in their efforts of rescuing victims. Apart from the fire department increasing funding, it promised to safeguard the health of the firefighters in case of a disaster of such magnitude. The September 11 tragedy in New York City was physiologically and psychologically damaging to both the firefighters and their family (Mantel, 2010). As a matter of fact, the firefighters who managed to make it without being hurt; they started to develop signs of psychological distress. Given the fact that the firefighters came into contact with the reality of the attack, they began to experience frustration and anxiety afterwards. As a result, the Fire Department in New York City came to realize the need for specialized care and counseling after an emergency of such magnitude to the firefighters and their families as part of the department psychological and emotional intervention measures.
Conclusion
The September 11 attack revealed the firefighters shortage in United States which necessitated the Department of Homeland Security to increase the number of the firefighters in the country and to train them in order for them to acquire the modern skills of dealing with attacks of huge magnitude. The American came to understand that through the adoption of highly skilled firefighters, they might be in a better position to protect its citizens and to reduce the number of fatalities just in case an attack of huge magnitude is to happen. The attack was therefore a source of employment for most firefighters in United States because the fire department and United States government realized that the firefighters and the firemen had the power to rescue victims efficiently and to respond to the calls from the other agencies dealing with the attack. The September 11 attack was a wakeup call for the fire department in New York City, firefighters and the United States government.
References
Frawley, K. (2012). The effects of 9/11 on the fire fighter labor market. New York Publishers.
