The fire service, according to a group of Hollister
firefighters, is a brotherhood. Across the country, they respect
each other, even if they’d never met.
So when almost 350 firefighters perished in the Sept. 11, 2001
terrorist attacks
– along with nearly 100 police officers – the men and women
serving in San Benito County, 3,000 miles from the nearest attack,
felt as if they had lost their own.
By KOLLIN KOSMICKI and JED LOGAN
Staff Writers
The fire service, according to a group of Hollister firefighters, is a brotherhood. Across the country, they respect each other, even if they’d never met.
So when almost 350 firefighters perished in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks – along with nearly 100 police officers – the men and women serving in San Benito County, 3,000 miles from the nearest attack, felt as if they had lost their own.
“During that time, a lot of us, we couldn’t even talk about it,” said Hollister firefighter Kenny Melin, among a group of several firefighters who spoke Wednesday about today’s significance. “It affected everything.”
“It was devastating,” added firefighter Bob Martin Del Campo.
Nearly 3,000 people lost their lives in the jet hijackings and subsequent attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
Today, two years after the tragedies in New York, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania the Hollister Fire Department won’t hold an official ceremony for the men and women who died that day. While other larger departments, such as San Jose’s, will. But each of the local firefighters will do something else, something most of them have done every day since – remember. And they want others to do the same.
“It changed the world,” said firefighter Mike Sgro. “It should be very important for people to remember what happened.”
It also changed the way people view the fire service, according to firefighter Wayne Thomas. He said local residents started reacting differently after Sept. 11 when fire engines would travel through Hollister. People have constantly waved, he said, smiling as the trucks drove by.
For the firefighters themselves, not only have their personal lives changed during the past two years, but their profession, much more than just putting out occasional fires and saving cats in trees, has been drastically reformed. Firefighters are now getting prepared for terrorist attacks. Essentially, they’re ready, Melin said, for war.
The Hollister Fire Department now receives a new type of training – which originated at the federal level – called the Urban Search and Rescue System. It teaches protocol for massive catastrophes, such as a terrorist attack.
“(Sept. 11) was a reminder, when you leave for work in the morning, that could be your last day,” Thomas said.
In the two years since the terrorist attack, local law enforcement has been working hard to increase the flow of information and coordinate efforts between agencies.
“I think there has been greater communication between municipal police departments, state and federal agencies,” said Capt. Bob Brooks of the Hollister Police Department.
Since Sept. 11, Brooks said the police department and other local law enforcement agencies have increased their training for various possible scenarios, including a terrorist attack.
In response to the increased threat, the police department, the sheriff’s department, the California Highway Patrol and the San Benito County Office of Emergency Services meet regularly to discuss security concerns and to make sure their responses are coordinated.
“There’s an awareness level that’s higher than it’s been before on behalf of both our officers and the public,” Brooks said.
Sheriff Curtis Hill said awareness is the key for keeping the community safe and reducing the terrorist threat.
“What everybody should be more aware of is suspicious activity around major infrastructure,” Hill said. “Something like a person taking a picture by the dam is not suspicious, but if you see someone taking pictures of the dam from every conceivable angle, that’s suspicious.”
Hill said although San Benito County may not be a prime target for terrorists, residents could still be affected by it.
“Silicon Valley is a major financial center, and Al-Queda said they are going to attack our financial centers,” Hill said. “If any of those events occur in Silicon Valley, it’s going to have a huge secondary effect on San Benito County.”
Hill said the county does have some secondary targets that might tempt terrorists.
“We have three huge PG&E pipelines that run through San Benito County from Texas that supply the Bay Area,” Hill said.
Jed Logan can be reached at
637-5566, ext. 320 or
jl****@fr***********.com
Kollin Kosmicki can be reached
at 637-5566, ext. 331 or
kk*******@fr***********.com
