Bay Area first responder recalls recovery efforts after 9/11 terrorist attacks
Bay Area first responder recalls recovery efforts post Sept 11th
A Bay Area first responder shares his story of leading a task force of firefighters into ground zero at the World Trade Center for recovery efforts after the September 11th terrorist attacks.
MENLO PARK, Calif. - Twenty five years after the September 11 terrorist attacks, retired Menlo Park Fire Chief Harold Schapelhouman vividly recalls the life-changing experience of leading a Bay Area task force to Ground Zero.
Schapelhouman was a captain at the time when he deployed dozens of Bay Area firefighters to New York City for a grueling two-week recovery mission.
"Everybody is proud of the work we did. It gets a little harder over time," Schapelhouman told KTVU. "It's a little more emotional watching some of the footage. It's hard because of what happened... the loss, the grief the families have gone through."
Facing chaos at Ground Zero
Why you should care:
Upon arrival, Schapelhouman's task force reported for duty amid absolute chaos, receiving warnings that they needed to prepare for potential secondary attacks.
"They said we're missing police cars and uniforms, and we have it under good authority that there's going to be secondary bombs, car bombs driven with these vehicles to kill as many first responders at the site as a secondary attack," Schapelhouman recalled. "At that moment in time, that was believable."
The mission came with a profound personal cost. Schapelhouman lost numerous friends, including a mentor, Raymond Downey, a leader in the New York City Fire Department who died in the collapse of the second tower.
Lasting health impacts
Big picture view:
The danger did not end when the task force returned to California. Schapelhouman says many of the firefighters in his unit have suffered from long-term mental and physical health issues.
"We know that when we came back, 70 percent of our team members got sick or were sick," he said, noting illnesses ranging from severe respiratory problems to various types of cancer.
Despite the heavy emotional and physical toll, Schapelhouman has no regrets.
When asked if he would do it all over again, he answered without hesitation: "100 percent. I was very proud to do it. But you leave a piece of yourself there. I'm a pretty tough guy, especially from a mental standpoint, but there's a lot of emotion."
Honoring the fallen
What's next:
As the 25th anniversary arrives, Schapelhouman emphasizes that Sept. 11 serves as both a solemn remembrance of lives lost and a vital reminder that preparedness is key.
To honor the event, Schapelhouman is part of the California Task Force Foundation, which is currently putting together a memorial made from a piece of granite retrieved from the World Trade Center plaza. He hopes the memorial will be ready for public display by the end of the year.
Schapelhouman and members of his team plan to mark the anniversary with a private gathering.
Amber Lee is a reporter with KTVU. Reach Amber at Amber.Lee@Fox.com, text/leave a message at 510-599-3922, or follow her on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @AmberKTVU.Tiktok @amberleenews
The Source: The information for this story came from an interview with Harold Schapelhouman, retired Menlo Park Fire Department Chief