By:Walter Weltner
On Tuesday morning, September 11th, while most people were glued to their televisions watching the tragic events unfold at the World Trade Center, the Valley Steam Fire Department was mobilizing its forces to assist the New York City Fire Department in any way that was required.
At 10:30 a.m., a general alarm was transmitted for Valley Stream firefighters to respond to their local firehouses for mutual aid to New York City. As per the procedure for mutual aid alarms, all department apparatus and firefighters responded to Fire Headquarters on East Oxford Street and Rockaway Parkway where a Command Post was activated.
Captain Brian Howley and former Chief Terrance O'Neill, both of Ladder 345, assumed command of the department, since Chief of Department William Croak, a FDNY lieutenant, 1st Assistant Chief Robert Petry, a Nassau County fire marshal and 2nd Assistant Chief Joseph Garofalo, a NCPD ambulance driver and AMT, were all on duty at their everyday jobs. All three chiefs responded to headquarters as soon as their tours of duty were completed. Once at headquarters, head counts were made for accountability purposes and firefighters were assigned to apparatus. While that process was underway, radio communications was taking place between the Nassau County Fire Communications Bureau and all Nassau County Fire Departments to determine the manpower and apparatus available to go into the city.
At 11:30 a.m., Chief Petry assumed command of the department and dispatched one engine company, one truck company and a heavy rescue company to the Brookfield Blvd. firehouse in Rosedale. Shortly after arriving there, they were relocated to the quarters of Engine 303 in South Jamaica. During their 14-hour stay in South Jamaica, our firefighters responded to all alarms of fire in that area, one, a serious building fire. They were eventually released back to Valley Stream at 1:30 a.m. Wednesday.
One ambulance, with a contingent of VSFD medical personnel, was dispatched to assist Valley Stream units in South Jamaica but was later transferred to Shea Stadium and eventually to Chelsea Pier in Manhattan until released at 3 Wednesday morning.
At approximately 2 p.m. Tuesday, Chief Petry dispatched three engine companies along with their assigned firefighters to the Belmont Park parking area for possible duty. At Belmont there were approximately 150 pieces of fire apparatus and 1,000 firefighters from other Nassau and Suffolk County fire departments being readied for assignment. While a number of heavy rescue and floodlight vehicles were sent to the city, only a few engine and ladder companies were sent there. All units at Belmont were released at 10:30 p.m. the day of the incident and returned back to Valley Stream for a continued stand-by in their local firehouses.
At about 4 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 12, Valley Stream Fire Department Engine 344 was assigned to FDNY Engine 274's quarters in Flushing to cover that firehouse while they relocated elsewhere in the city. Ten hours later they were relieved and returned to Valley Stream. While the official stand-by ended early Wednesday morning, many firefighters remained on duty, in their firehouses, until Thursday morning.
While Valley Stream firefighters were not called directly to the actual disaster site, they were performing important functions by providing fire protection to residents and businesses in Queens, standing by at Belmont Racetrack for possible relocation into the disaster area, and most importantly, continued to protect our village residents and businesses and our neighboring villages who were left with minimal protection because of their responses to New York City.
There are numerous Valley Stream firefighters who are also members of the FDNY, NY Police Department, Port of New York and New Jersey Police Department and other emergency services units. Some were on duty at the time of the catastrophe, and dug through and continue to dig through the ruins searching for survivors, tending to the injured and providing police protection in the area. Thankfully, at the time this article was prepared, none were killed or seriously injured.
On a sad note, Peter Martin, a former Valley Stream firefighter and a lieutenant of FDNY Rescue 2, one of the five elite rescue companies in the city, is listed as one of the missing. On the day of the attack, Lieutenant Martin was taking part in a training drill only a few blocks from the WTC and was one of the first firefighters at the scene.
During the length of the standby, the outpouring of support from the residents and businesses in the community was exceptional. Countless people came to the firehouse offering assistance and asking for the location of blood donation centers. Local businesses donated large quantities of food and supplies, not only for the relief effort, but also to the firefighters of the Valley Stream Fire Department that were standing by in Valley Stream and at Belmont Racetrack.
"I thank the brave volunteer firefighters of the Valley Stream Fire Department for the incredible effort they put forth in assisting with this disaster. Everyone involved worked as a team and showed the professionalism and discipline that is necessary in an incident of this magnitude," 1st Assistant Chief Petry, the incident commander for the Valley Stream Fire Department, said.
On Saturday morning, Sept. 15, a contingent of Valley Stream firefighters attended the funeral mass of FDNY Firefighter Raymond York at Holy Name of Mary Church, who was killed in the line of duty at the WTC. As part of the tribute to the fallen firefighter, VSFD Truck Company #1 along with a tower ladder from the Huntington Fire Department erected a huge American flag arch at the intersection on South Grove Street and East Jamaica Avenue.
