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Firefighters Quarterly Magazine
Winter 2006 Issue >> Contents >> Honoring the Past, Guarding the Future
Honoring the Past, Guarding the Future
Although the U.S. has not yet escaped the monumental shadow of September 11, 2001, (and in some ways probably never will), some recent events confirm that as a country we haven't forgotten some of the hard-learned lessons of 9/11. A number of organizations and entities are working hard to see that those who worked tirelessly in the WTC recovery effort are themselves receiving special medical attention. And, as the FDNY moves forward, its members are taking part in training to ensure that the department is better prepared for what it may face during another terrorist-based event and its aftermath.
HELPING THE HEALING PROCESS
In June 2005, as it's done so many times during its fabled history, the American Red Cross came to someone's rescue again. This time it was the approximately 15,000 people who helped during the WTC recovery effort that took place in the painful days and months following 9/11/01. These individuals will receive $16 million in medical and social work services over the course of the next two years, for the treatment of health problems which began in the aftermath of Ground Zero. Overall, the Red Cross will provide nearly $90 million dollars of recovery assistance of various kinds between now and 2007
The FDNY, which received a $5 million Red Cross grant awarded to its FDNY Fire Safety Education Fund, was one of seven organizations that will receive the (much-welcome) assistance from the American Red Cross Liberty Disaster Relief Fund. Other recipients include the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, the Association of Occupational and Environmental Clinics and Bellevue Hospital Center.
The primary goal of the Red Cross September 11 recovery grants is to help bolster the health and well-being of those who gave their all to help the city get back on its feet in the dark days and months following the attacks in Lower Manhattan. For many of these workers, getting the specialized help they need for their ailments would otherwise be next to impossible, as they are either under-insured or not covered at all by health insurance. That's where the Red Cross grants are invaluable, according to one New York senator.
"Without the support of the grants being announced today," said Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) at a June 20th press conference to announce the program, "many of these individuals could not afford the diagnostic tests and medications they now need for a variety of health conditions related to their heroic efforts at Ground Zero. These grants will also provide them with help in applying for publicly funded entitlement programs and accessing other community-based resources that can hopefully assist them with their recovery over the long term."
FDNY Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta agreed. "This $5 million grant to the FDNY Fire Safety Education Fund will ensure that both active and retired members of the Fire Department continue to receive long-term medical care and support in the aftermath of September 11," he said. "Those individuals who selflessly dedicated themselves to the rescue and recovery work at the World Trade Center deserve access to the best medical care and monitoring. Without this grant and the support of the Red Cross, we would not have the financial resources for this undertaking."
The Red Cross grants will certainly help recovery workers from New York, but also those volunteers who came from sometimes-great distances to lend a hand at Ground Zero. Fortunately, Red Cross support of the Association of Occupational and Environmental Clinics provides that affected parties will be able to seek treatment not only in the New York area, but also in a number of cities across the country. The AOEC predicts it will be treating recovery workers at its clinics in Baltimore, Tampa, Chicago, Washington, D.C. and in seven other cities.
Regardless of where patients come from or where they seek treatment, however, the grants provided by the Red Cross will prove welcome to first responders who worked on the recovery effort, especially those trying to make their own financial recovery.
"The generous support of the Red Cross allows treatment with no out-of-pocket expenses for hundreds more WTC responders who continue to suffer from health conditions related to their selfless work at ground zero," explains Robin Herbert, MD, Co-Director of Mount Sinai Center's World Trade Center Health Effects Treatment Program. Dr. Herbert estimates that the Red Cross partnership has already helped well over 1,200 recovery workers and volunteers, but there's plenty more to be done. "Thousands more continue to face serious medical conditions, including life-long illnesses," she observes.
This isn't the first time the Red Cross has lent a hand to those affected by the events of 9/11. However, through judicious use of its funds, the organization is now able to help again, according to Alan Goodman, Executive Director of the Red Cross's September 11 Recovery Program (SRP).
"Our recovery grants program now allows us to use the balance remaining in the Liberty Disaster Relief Fund to support non-profit institutions and community-based organizations that can address the longer-term mental and physical health needs of these individuals through a broader range of services than the Red Cross is chartered or equipped to provide," he says. (For information on services, call 877- 746-4987 [TDD (800) 662-1220] or visit www.redcross.org/september11/help.)
TRAINING FOR TROUBLE
In the aftermath of 9/11, several studies were commissioned to dissect the complex events of that day, in hopes of learning more about how such incidents could be handled in the future, if they should occur again.
In Aug. 2002, the FDNY presented the McKinsey Report, a study on 9/11 carried out by an independent research consultancy. One of its suggestions involved the ongoing need for training exercises to help first responders become prepared to deal with terrorist attacks and their aftermath. The report contended that the FDNY, in conjunction with other involved groups, should "plan and execute joint training exercises and evaluate these exercises together to ensure that agencies can and will cooperate effectively during incidents, eg. by operating under a unified command and control structure."
The department incorporated that action point into its 2004-2005 Strategic Plan, which the FDNY released in Jan. 2004. Four of its directives included:
- Complete necessary Emergency Response Procedures (ERPs) concerning Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD).
- Conduct vulnerability assessments of 65 designated sites to increase preparedness for possible future terrorist acts.
- Design and conduct intra- and inter-agency tabletops and other exercises.
- Develop Terrorism Preparedness Strategic Plan, including funding priorities.
In keeping with the FDNY's strategy, the department is strengthening its commitment to counter-terrorism training. On May 9, 2005, the FDNY conducted one such training exercise. At the Fire Academy on Randall's Island, the FDNY held an Incident Management Team Functional Exercise that featured simultaneous action through multiple staged events, as well as a hazardous materials component.
Two teams, each made up of a dozen members, "responded" to a terrorist-based disaster. Each group was sequestered privately, with working radio and phone equipment and a "control team" who modified the exercise on the fly.
Those participating in the exercise included veteran firefighters and EMS providers who have already received considerable amounts of training in using the Incident Command System (ICS). Since 2003, more than 100 members of the FDNY have taken part in classroom and field training based on ICS.
Only a few days later (on May 13), 31 senior Fire and EMS officers graduated after taking part in a special, grad-level course on Terrorism and Counterterrorism sponsored by the FDNY. May's graduates were the third group to graduate from the 14-week program. The course has an interesting history, having been developed by the FDNY using curriculum used by West Point's Combating Terrorism Center. Group projects and case studies focused on: transportation system attack scenario; studies of regional homeland security resources; radiological attack in a transportation facility; biological incident response plan; and a 9/11 interagency review.
A SUMMER SUMMIT
On July 21, Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta and senior FDNY officials met in Washington, DC with Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. The goal: to discuss security issues facing New York City and their impact on Fire Department operations.
"One of the things we discussed was subway security and Secretary Chertoff made it clear that subway and railroad security is an extremely high priority for DHS," Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta said. (For more information about the FDNY and subway safety, see "FDNY Unveils Hot New 'Underground' Project" in fireLines on page XX.)
Fire Commissioner Scoppetta praised Chertoff for meeting with the FDNY (along with three elected New York officials), and said it represented their desire to make sure that the FDNY has the proper resources to carry out its work. "An ongoing commitment from all levels of government will ensure that public safety and homeland security are not compromised and that our first responders are all properly equipped to perform their life-saving work," he said.
As we mark the four-year anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, it's clear that the nation is still preoccupied with the events of that fateful day?whether that means trying to recover from its after-effects or working to prevent its reoccurrence. For the men and women of the FDNY (and their families), it only stands to reason that, because of their proximity to 9/11, their preoccupation with 9/11 is just a little bit stronger than anybody else's. It has to be. FQ
Winter 2006 Issue >> Contents >> Honoring the Past, Guarding the Future
Honoring the Past, Guarding the Future
Although the U.S. has not yet escaped the monumental shadow of September 11, 2001, (and in some ways probably never will), some recent events confirm that as a country we haven't forgotten some of the hard-learned lessons of 9/11. A number of organizations and entities are working hard to see that those who worked tirelessly in the WTC recovery effort are themselves receiving special medical attention. And, as the FDNY moves forward, its members are taking part in training to ensure that the department is better prepared for what it may face during another terrorist-based event and its aftermath.
HELPING THE HEALING PROCESS
In June 2005, as it's done so many times during its fabled history, the American Red Cross came to someone's rescue again. This time it was the approximately 15,000 people who helped during the WTC recovery effort that took place in the painful days and months following 9/11/01. These individuals will receive $16 million in medical and social work services over the course of the next two years, for the treatment of health problems which began in the aftermath of Ground Zero. Overall, the Red Cross will provide nearly $90 million dollars of recovery assistance of various kinds between now and 2007
The FDNY, which received a $5 million Red Cross grant awarded to its FDNY Fire Safety Education Fund, was one of seven organizations that will receive the (much-welcome) assistance from the American Red Cross Liberty Disaster Relief Fund. Other recipients include the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, the Association of Occupational and Environmental Clinics and Bellevue Hospital Center.
The primary goal of the Red Cross September 11 recovery grants is to help bolster the health and well-being of those who gave their all to help the city get back on its feet in the dark days and months following the attacks in Lower Manhattan. For many of these workers, getting the specialized help they need for their ailments would otherwise be next to impossible, as they are either under-insured or not covered at all by health insurance. That's where the Red Cross grants are invaluable, according to one New York senator.
"Without the support of the grants being announced today," said Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) at a June 20th press conference to announce the program, "many of these individuals could not afford the diagnostic tests and medications they now need for a variety of health conditions related to their heroic efforts at Ground Zero. These grants will also provide them with help in applying for publicly funded entitlement programs and accessing other community-based resources that can hopefully assist them with their recovery over the long term."
FDNY Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta agreed. "This $5 million grant to the FDNY Fire Safety Education Fund will ensure that both active and retired members of the Fire Department continue to receive long-term medical care and support in the aftermath of September 11," he said. "Those individuals who selflessly dedicated themselves to the rescue and recovery work at the World Trade Center deserve access to the best medical care and monitoring. Without this grant and the support of the Red Cross, we would not have the financial resources for this undertaking."
The Red Cross grants will certainly help recovery workers from New York, but also those volunteers who came from sometimes-great distances to lend a hand at Ground Zero. Fortunately, Red Cross support of the Association of Occupational and Environmental Clinics provides that affected parties will be able to seek treatment not only in the New York area, but also in a number of cities across the country. The AOEC predicts it will be treating recovery workers at its clinics in Baltimore, Tampa, Chicago, Washington, D.C. and in seven other cities.
Regardless of where patients come from or where they seek treatment, however, the grants provided by the Red Cross will prove welcome to first responders who worked on the recovery effort, especially those trying to make their own financial recovery.
"The generous support of the Red Cross allows treatment with no out-of-pocket expenses for hundreds more WTC responders who continue to suffer from health conditions related to their selfless work at ground zero," explains Robin Herbert, MD, Co-Director of Mount Sinai Center's World Trade Center Health Effects Treatment Program. Dr. Herbert estimates that the Red Cross partnership has already helped well over 1,200 recovery workers and volunteers, but there's plenty more to be done. "Thousands more continue to face serious medical conditions, including life-long illnesses," she observes.
This isn't the first time the Red Cross has lent a hand to those affected by the events of 9/11. However, through judicious use of its funds, the organization is now able to help again, according to Alan Goodman, Executive Director of the Red Cross's September 11 Recovery Program (SRP).
"Our recovery grants program now allows us to use the balance remaining in the Liberty Disaster Relief Fund to support non-profit institutions and community-based organizations that can address the longer-term mental and physical health needs of these individuals through a broader range of services than the Red Cross is chartered or equipped to provide," he says. (For information on services, call 877- 746-4987 [TDD (800) 662-1220] or visit www.redcross.org/september11/help.)
TRAINING FOR TROUBLE
In the aftermath of 9/11, several studies were commissioned to dissect the complex events of that day, in hopes of learning more about how such incidents could be handled in the future, if they should occur again.
In Aug. 2002, the FDNY presented the McKinsey Report, a study on 9/11 carried out by an independent research consultancy. One of its suggestions involved the ongoing need for training exercises to help first responders become prepared to deal with terrorist attacks and their aftermath. The report contended that the FDNY, in conjunction with other involved groups, should "plan and execute joint training exercises and evaluate these exercises together to ensure that agencies can and will cooperate effectively during incidents, eg. by operating under a unified command and control structure."
The department incorporated that action point into its 2004-2005 Strategic Plan, which the FDNY released in Jan. 2004. Four of its directives included:
- Complete necessary Emergency Response Procedures (ERPs) concerning Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD).
- Conduct vulnerability assessments of 65 designated sites to increase preparedness for possible future terrorist acts.
- Design and conduct intra- and inter-agency tabletops and other exercises.
- Develop Terrorism Preparedness Strategic Plan, including funding priorities.
In keeping with the FDNY's strategy, the department is strengthening its commitment to counter-terrorism training. On May 9, 2005, the FDNY conducted one such training exercise. At the Fire Academy on Randall's Island, the FDNY held an Incident Management Team Functional Exercise that featured simultaneous action through multiple staged events, as well as a hazardous materials component.
Two teams, each made up of a dozen members, "responded" to a terrorist-based disaster. Each group was sequestered privately, with working radio and phone equipment and a "control team" who modified the exercise on the fly.
Those participating in the exercise included veteran firefighters and EMS providers who have already received considerable amounts of training in using the Incident Command System (ICS). Since 2003, more than 100 members of the FDNY have taken part in classroom and field training based on ICS.
Only a few days later (on May 13), 31 senior Fire and EMS officers graduated after taking part in a special, grad-level course on Terrorism and Counterterrorism sponsored by the FDNY. May's graduates were the third group to graduate from the 14-week program. The course has an interesting history, having been developed by the FDNY using curriculum used by West Point's Combating Terrorism Center. Group projects and case studies focused on: transportation system attack scenario; studies of regional homeland security resources; radiological attack in a transportation facility; biological incident response plan; and a 9/11 interagency review.
A SUMMER SUMMIT
On July 21, Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta and senior FDNY officials met in Washington, DC with Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. The goal: to discuss security issues facing New York City and their impact on Fire Department operations.
"One of the things we discussed was subway security and Secretary Chertoff made it clear that subway and railroad security is an extremely high priority for DHS," Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta said. (For more information about the FDNY and subway safety, see "FDNY Unveils Hot New 'Underground' Project" in fireLines on page XX.)
Fire Commissioner Scoppetta praised Chertoff for meeting with the FDNY (along with three elected New York officials), and said it represented their desire to make sure that the FDNY has the proper resources to carry out its work. "An ongoing commitment from all levels of government will ensure that public safety and homeland security are not compromised and that our first responders are all properly equipped to perform their life-saving work," he said.
As we mark the four-year anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, it's clear that the nation is still preoccupied with the events of that fateful day?whether that means trying to recover from its after-effects or working to prevent its reoccurrence. For the men and women of the FDNY (and their families), it only stands to reason that, because of their proximity to 9/11, their preoccupation with 9/11 is just a little bit stronger than anybody else's. It has to be. FQ
BRAVEST AWARDS DINNER Our annual Bravest Awards Dinner honors New York City Firemen who go above and beyond the call of duty. • Learn more about the event • Watch Videos from past dinners |
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A YEAR OF 9/11 MESSAGES On September 12, 2001, we launched a feature on this site where visitors could post a message for New York’s Bravest. In the year that followed we recieved more than 2000 messages (many of which were printed in a special issue of Firefighters Quarterly Magazine). We still have them here on the site, as a memorial and a reminder. • 9/11 Message Center |
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