By Howard Goldstein
They had waited an entire day and night, shifted between various locations as authorities attempted to deal with what seemed impossible. Then the firefighters came in, by the dozens, and over the days, by the hundreds, lungs and eyes polluted by the cloud of gases and debris that billowed where the World Trade Center once stood.
The Bellmore-Merrick EMS was among the units called. If the police and firefighters were the support for New York, EMS was the support for the support. From treating firefighters at make-shift field stations to supplying oxygen at ground zero, the EMS worked tirelessly to provide medical relief for hundreds of rescuers, and the few victims of the attack that survived.
Matt Weinick, chief of Bellmore-Merrick EMS, recalls the long hours of waiting and the frenzied moments of treating burned and gasping rescue workers.
Current treasurer and past President Brad Reiter, and then-Chief Chris Benes, were at the site of ground zero.
"I was at ground zero the first day and went back the next. Our guys pulled out and treated a firefighter who started to seizure as he searched for victims among the wreck. Then we went to South Ferry and helped rescuers. Most needed eyes washed out, and many had breathing trouble," he called.
Lt. Andrew Moreno said, " First I was at Shea Stadium, then South Ferry, then a Burger King-turned-police headquarters. Over 150 firemen were treated, including one that suffered a heart attack and had to be transported out."
Ambulance driver Amy Christian felt that she could not face the horror of ground zero, but needed to help.
"I stayed in Bellmore and cleaned and prepped ambulances coming in from Manhattan to be sent out again. They were covered in thick, gray soot and needed to be completely scrubbed, hosed out and resuited to be used for victims. I needed to do something. I felt bad for people who did not have an outlet to help in the relief effort," she said.
Tragically, there were few World Trade Center victims to treat, because there were practically no survivors from the actual collapse, but victims on the ground and firefighters owe much to the efforts of the EMS.
EMS rarely gets the credit it deserves, however.
"The firefighters and police are always recognized, rightfully of course, but the EMS is almost always forgotten," said Weinick.
"But of course, like the firefighters and police, we do not do this for the thanks. It's a hard job, and it takes a certain type of person. It has to be in your blood," he said.
Brad Reiter agreed.
"We're called 'The Third Service.' After 9/11, the EMS did not get much credit. It never does. A fireman carrying a baby out of a burning building is a front-page picture, but if the baby is not breathing, it's up to EMS. It's less exciting, but equally as vital."
"EMS training requirements are very rigorous. And Bellmore-Merrick EMS standards are even higher than the state's mandate," said Weinick.
"While those requirements are necessary," said Weinick, "it may also be partly why EMS is suffering a shortage of volunteers. After 9/11, everyone wanted to help. But now we are short on manpower, funds, and desperately short of ambulances. We have a very dedicated roster of about 40 volunteers, but need keeps growing."
"The answer certainly is not to relax standards. But I think the state should change the way they do classes. Right now, routine field emergencies are glossed over, and one in a 1,000 situations that most EMS never see are taught for blocks at a time."
The county has a new plan, according to Weinick, and improved cooperation among all emergency organizations is in order. The Bellmore-Merrick EMS is also waiting for a federal 9-11 Grant.
The EMS daily handles such things as suicide attempts, asthma attacks, seizures, accidents, heart attacks, and much more. More equipment is greatly needed for the efforts.
Reiter thinks that working closely with fire departments is crucial, especially in Bellmore and Merrick.
" There is, God forbid, potential for a large mass casualty incident in such a populated area with schools, buses and the LIRR. We must have a plan in case anything like 9-11 ever happens again, so we can have the most positive impact possible."
But even during the World Trade Center disaster, Bellmore and Merrick were never forgotten.
"There was personnel and ambulances in Bellmore 24 hours even as our unit helped in Manhattan. These communities are always our priority, and citizens of the Bellmore-Merricks are never without emergency help," he said.
Some emergencies included crash of plane 587 in Rockaway last year. Though there were no survivors, Bellmore-Merrick EMS, including Reiter, was there to treat ground victims.
A typical example of the EMS's usual grind came one year after the WTC catastrophe, Sept. 11, 2002, just a few blocks from the station.
A man had fallen into a diabetic seizure, Weinick, Christian, Capt. Ben Sottile and Andrew Moreno had given him glucose IV, thiamine (to help metabolize) and revived him. The man was taken to Nassau University Medical Center is in good condition.
"No matter how difficult things get, we are always here for the community," said Weinick.
"It's in our blood."
