Within one hour of the first plane hitting the World Trade Center, the Jersey City Fire Department had sent four units to the scene. The department’s response was so quick that the units arrived in time to witness the tower’s collapse.
As the building fell, firefighters scurried to get out of harm’s way. Joseph Lovero, a Jersey City fire dispatcher, ran in the opposite direction of the rest of the firefighters and was killed by the debris.
But the collapse of the towers did not put out the fire, and the department continued to extinguish the flames for two days. In the following weeks, members of the fire department, including those who would normally be off duty, aided all search and rescue operations occurring at Ground Zero.
“Officially, they called us in for the two days and then asked us not to send us any more units,” said Deputy Director Jose Cruz. But regardless of that request, Cruz said that firemen voluntarily crossed the Hudson daily to volunteer any off-duty time they had.
“Unofficially, we had 100 men who would go over on a daily basis to help,” Cruz said. “They would meet 30 to 40 at a time.”
In addition, 10 firefighters were also sent to the Urban Search and Rescue One unit that was sent to Ground Zero to officially aid in the aftermath rescue efforts.
According to Cruz, the rescue efforts have ended this week, and the unit is being pulled from the site as New York City acknowledges that the mission at this time will solely focus on recovering bodies.
“It has been a recovery mission for the past week,” Cruz said.
As New York City mourns the loss of approximately 300 firefighters in the attack, the Jersey City Fire Department has sent out representatives to attend the funerals occurring each day.
In addition to the help provided at Ground Zero, the Jersey City Fire Department also led a four-day rescue mission designed to get inside a section of the PATH tunnel that was flooded. “There was word that there was a train down there with people still on it,” Cruz said. Floating on electric rafts, a crew pumped 6,000 gallons of water out of the tunnel each minute, but the water level remained too high for them to safely gain access inside.
“We spent four days trying to make our way to the other side,” Cruz said. After an additional building collapsed on the second day, their efforts were foiled by new holes in the tunnel that caused more flooding. As of now, no one is sure if a train was in there.
Although the firefighters have returned to Jersey City, the recent incidents have put the department in a constant state of “high alert,” as they prepare for any other catastrophes that might ensue. Cruz said that men are putting in more overtime than usual. “You see the same personnel everyday. We’re very low on manpower,” he said. Before the attack occurred, the department was short-staffed, and Cruz said that Mayor Glenn Cunningham is working hard to get funding for new firefighters.
Even though the men have pulled out of Ground Zero, the images of what they saw will stay with them for a while.
“These men have experienced things that no one else has seen,” Cruz said.
Firefighters and all other emergency service people that took part in the rescue efforts have been encouraged to get counseling from the Jersey City Medical Center. “It’s been very difficult,” said Cruz.