EDMONDS — Nearly 1/3 of Americans today were born after the diabolical terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 in New York, Washington D.C. and Shanksville, Penn. when passengers overwhelmed Flight 93 hijackers, heroically preventing further catastrophe.
Twenty-five years after the 2001 attacks, the 9/11 Memorial and Fallen Firefighter Park outside the doors to the South County Fire Station 17 in Edmonds still resonates and provides a powerful message to all ages.
David “Bronco” Erickson, retired South County firefighter, played a key role in raising funds and coordinating construction of the 9/11 Memorial in the Fallen Firefighter Park at Downtown Edmonds.
“Since my retirement, we have hired literally hundreds of firefighters. And most of them were not even alive during the events of 9/11,” Erickson tells the EverettPost.com. “It’s very important that we do not forget those events that occurred and that next generation of firefighters needs to know what their future may hold.”
Erickson’s dedication to the newest generation of firefighters is stronger than ever. “I have never been more proud to be a firefighter. But I also have seen how time erodes memory. You lose contact with the relevance or the importance of that event. And for me, it was just very important to keep that alive. Not just for the people that live through it. We’ve created that park, so they have a place to come and have some solace but also for the next generations that they don’t lose this critical piece of history.“
In 2011, Erickson personally escorted back a one-ton beam from the World Trade Center, that now stands as the center-piece in that memorial at 275 6th Ave. N .
To appreciate what shapes Erickson’s commitment, its rooted in his experience with a fellow South County firefighter he served alongside. “My partner in the fire department, Andy Speier, worked in Edmonds as well. And before he came out west, he worked for FDNY in Midtown Manhattan. Engine 54, ladder 4. This was back in the ‘80s,” he begins.
On September 11th 2001, Erickson says, Speier was at South County 17 teaching a rescue class to fellow first responders. “And of course, (he) cancelled class. And as soon as air traffic was allowed to resume, he flew back to New York to work at Ground Zero on the pile, digging through the debris, looking for his co-workers, civilians and loved ones.”
Speier’s unflinching decision to go toward the danger was forged in a phone call before air traffic was allowed to resume. “When Andy had called back,” to New York, “after the attack and to check on the guys that he worked with,” Erickson explains, “he rattled off a dozen names. The guy on the other end of the phone says, he’s gone. He’s gone. He’s gone. He’s gone.”
Engine 54, Ladder 4, Battalion 9, known as “The Pride of New York”, Speier’s previous firehouse “suffered the highest loss of any fire station in New York,” Erickson reminds. “Every single person that left that station, never returned. There were 15 that were lost from that one station alone.”
“It really had a personal and powerful effect directly on the firefighters that are our brothers. I just couldn’t really imagine what that would be like to lose every co-worker you knew at your station. So it was important for me to keep that memory alive to remember the sacrifices that people made trying to help others and save lives. Hundreds have have paid the ultimate price for that dedication for helping their fellow man. And you shouldn’t forget,” Erickson reinforces.
With the passage of 25 years, the atrocity of the terrorist attack now takes on an added dimension for the firefighters who rushed to save lives and those who lived adjacent to Ground Zero. More people have died since September 11th due to the toxic exposure of the dust and debris.
“We’re at nearly 10,000 lives lost since the collapse just from 9/11 related cancers in the area around New York,” Erickson adds. “And of those, 453 New York firefighters have died from cancers acquired after the collapse. The numbers are just astounding and we can’t forget that even though that was a tragic event, the sacrifices made by the fire department and by the community at large are continuing to be made every day. We can’t forget that those people are also victims of that terrorist attack, even a quarter century later.”
Beyond the aftermath of the 2001 attacks and the cancer cases related to the collapse of the Twin Towers, cancer is now the leading cause of death among firefighters across the nation. “While the headlines might honor a firefighter that was lost performing a heroic rescue or the collapse of the Trade Towers or something dramatic, the silent killer in our profession is cancer from all of the toxic fumes and gases that we work with everyday, responding to house fires and structure fires and car fires,” Erickson advises.
“We protect ourselves as best we can, but It has become an epidemic in our profession. Two-thirds of all firefighters now that die in the line duty are from a duty related cancer acquired from the job. So, it’s important to share that with the younger generation. That they are just as human as the rest of us and are just as susceptible to the risks of the job as the rest of us. It’s a reminder to take care of themselves.
“Use their protective equipment. Limit exposure when possible. Decontaminate gear and equipment, you know, all of the things that we can sort of control or mitigate some toxic exposure risk. And knowledge is power. If you don’t know these things, then you will not make the right decision. It’s a bit sobering for sure. I mean, you’re starting your career in the greatest profession, in my mind, that you can have and it’s a bit sobering to realize that two-thirds of you are going to pass from a cancer that you got on the job.”
That heightened awareness goes hand-in-hand with the 25 year mark following the deadliest attack on U.S. soil. The 9/11 Memorial and Fallen Firefighter Park at the edge of South County 17 serves as the annual sire where Erickson and his compatriots conduct the annual September 11th memorial service.
For Erickson, the message to civilians and first responders alike is embodied in that one-ton beam embedded into the local memorial. “It is more than a beam to us in the fire service. It is a symbol of all of those that were lost on that day,” Erickson tells the EverettPost.com.
“It’s a sacred piece from my perspective,” he says of the Edmonds memorial that is flanked by walls of nearly 3000 glass tiles colored like the American flag to honor the 2996 killed in the combined attacks.
“And I think a lot of, not just firefighters, but a lot of citizens in our country have also had a terrible loss on that day. This whole Memorial was meant to be a place of solace, where people could come and remember and pay tribute to those that were lost. And it wasn’t just firefighters. There’s janitors, office clerks, and finance people. People just trying to get to work at make their bills. Lots of innocent victims died as well.
“For me, its more than a beam. It’s not just a piece of construction material. In my mind, it’s a sacred artifact, and it represents the loss of so many of my brothers.”