By:Cindy J. Roth
Members of the Bellmore and North Bellmore fire departments and Bellmore-Merrick Emergency Medical Services described ground zero in lower Manhattan as incomprehensible.
"It's unlike anything I've ever seen," said Mark Deluca, the North Bellmore fire chief. "It looks like a war zone. The pictures on TV don't give it justice."
Dozens of local volunteers have joined in relief and rescue efforts in lower Manhattan since the attack on the World Trade Center Sept. 11. Firefighters and emergency medical technicians said they couldn't believe what they saw at the former Twin Towers, but that they were eager to help during the crisis.
The Bellmore Fire Department sent crews to ground zero throughout last week, searching for survivors, including two Bellmore volunteers who are also New York City firefighters. The two men, Adam Rand and Kevin Prior, are reported missing and may have been lost during the initial rescue effort after the attack.
Bob Podolski, North Bellmore fire commissioner, said last week that there was "still hope." He noted, however, "there will be bodies that are never found."
Mark Deluca, the North Bellmore chief, said crews from this department, groups of 10 to 12 men, sifted through remains of the Twin Towers and found mostly body parts.
Still, the rescue workers didn't want to give up their search. "It's hard to pull these guys out," Deluca said. "Nobody wants to leave. [They are] working until they collapse."
Deluca said he has more than enough fire volunteers willing to help, and he is staggering their shifts so the men do not burn out, anticipating cleanup will take a long time.
Bellmore-Merrick Emergency Medical Services, with more than 50 volunteers, have also provided relief in lower Manhattan. Brad Reiter, Bellmore-Merrick EMS president, said that last Tuesday the unit was sent to the Shea Stadium staging center in Queens, where members were put on standby. That evening, they were dispatched to areas east and west of the World Trade Center, at Chelsea Pier and South Ferry, Reiter said.
Deluca said, "The magnitude and immensity of what needs to be done is incredible. It's devastating and incredible. You can't even describe it. There's debris everywhere, buildings look like they are ready to fall down, and we're just trying to find the faintest signs of life. This will be something people talk about for generations"
Podolski, who has been driving North Bellmore crews into lower Manhattan, described the site as devastated. Debris continued to fall even after the collapse, sending rescue workers running.
"There is massive damage," Podolski said. "Several cars are smashed like a pancake."
Al Hickey, Bellmore Fire Department public information officer, watched the tragedy unfold from his Times Square office and described the event as the worst he had seen.
"It was just surreal and just got worse after that, so I can only imagine what firefighters are going through at the scene," Hickey said.
