FDNY Crisis with NYPD

Commentary

This week I thought I would try to come to grips with my own feelings on the recent developments in the World Trade Situation in New York.

This week some members of FDNY were arrested in connection with a demonstration on how the remaining work on the site would be conducted.

The city has taken a position that has reduced the number of firefighters assigned to the "pile" to not more than 25.

Many of the firefighters want to continue working to make attempts at retrieval of as many of their brothers and civilian remains as they possibly could.

This resulted in a physical confrontation with NYPD and arrests were made.

I really don't know where the majority of my feelings come down on this one, and I offer the views below as just my "commentary" on the situation.

I don't know and I don't think any of us outside the FDNY know how they feel, how much anxiety has built up, how much frustration has built up since the loss of some 300 + members of the department. Quite frankly I am surprised that an outburst like this has not happened sooner based upon the enormity of the emotional crisis these personnel have been under.

I truly believe there should be some FDNY presence on that site as long as it continues, and until the last bits of material is removed. I am not sure how many people and personnel that is, and what exactly their role should be, but the "all out" has not been sounded as yet.

I truly believe that the city has made an extremely difficult decision to proceed at a much faster pace and shift to a construction demolition phase. Despite what the firefighters might feel now, or have felt about the city previous to Septemeber 11, 2001, I cannot believe that this decision was made without any forethought and consideration to the victims remains that are still unaccounted for.

The question remains....would next week be the right time to withdraw? How about the week after? Maybe just two more weeks?

It is my opinion that it will never be the right time to withdraw our brother firefighters from this scene. We were not and are not prepared for a loss of this magnitude and we are not well prepared mentally to accept this defeat. This is a fact not a criticism at all. The very thing that makes firefighters great at their jobs, their ability to never give up, and continue forward under any circumstances, sometimes leaves us ill-prepared to come to these conclusions.

I don't know who is right or wrong in this case, the city or the firefighters, all I know is that I feel it is just one more pain and burden emotionally that our brothers and sisters in FDNY have to bear.

These are decisions that no fire department or city for that matter should ever have to make.

Again, just one more time since September 11 I once again feel helpless as I watch these unbelieveable events unfold.

Let us all hope and offer a silent prayer to a greater power that this will resolve itself in a positive manner, and reinforce the position that the nation's fire service is truky one of this country's greatest resources.

Let all of our collective strength and power be felt by our brothers and sisters in FDNY and serve as a focus for them to know we are all there with them as they go through this turbulent time.

How do you feel about this? Either respond below or if there is a lot of response we will start a bulletin board thread on it.

Tell me what you think, e-mail with your comments and / opinions.