answers NYC call They have answered mutual aid calls in the past from across the state – wildfires on Long Island, ice storms in Potsdam and Watertown. When the Spencerport Ambulance Corps got the call for assistance in the aftermath of the World Trade Center attack, like others who’ve been to Ground Zero during the past month, they were unprepared for the devastation they encountered. "The footage you see on TV doesn’t begin to show the extent of damage," said Paramedic Bill Hallinan. "When you’re standing there in it, it’s almost too much for your mind to take in. You ask ‘This is in America? How can this be?’ " Spencerport got the call to go from the state emergency management office on September 16. They had to put together two crews of three (including two paramedics), to report to New York City on September 25. The crews would cover two-12 hour shifts. Their mission was to treat and/or transport to hospitals rescue workers, construction crews, emergency service personnel who became injured at the scene of America’s worst terrorist disaster. Four men and three women from the Spencerport Ambulance Corps were selected to go – Bill Hallinan, Jeff Tewksbury, Mike Barone, Jeff Krywy, Julie Tewksbury, Kathy Campbell and Ann Hamblin. They drove to NYC in a Spencerport ambulance and an Ogden Police transport vehicle. After reporting to the emergency mobilization center at Chelsea Piers, the group was quartered on the USNS Comfort. The hospital ship has over 500 beds, that instead of being used for wounded, were used by the rescue workers to catch some sleep between shifts. A Red Cross worker greeted the new arrivals. Barone was given a teddy bear, sent by the children of Oklahoma City. The bear had a thank-you note pinned to it – a handwritten message from a child whose home city was the site of America’s worst domestic terrorist incident. Barone doesn’t deny the tears the gesture brought to him. As they began to make their way towards Ground Zero, the Spencerport group was exposed to a variety of new experiences. Hundreds of New Yorkers lined the street reserved for rescue crews with signs and banners thanking all the volunteers. Those thank yous were also shouted and sung and cheered. There were tents set up, eerily reminiscent of Spencerport’s Canal Days with every type of food and beverage imaginable, blankets and clothing, prayer tents and a chiropractor. "There was so much giving," Hallinan said. "The rescue workers did not lack for anything." The mood began to change as rescuers left the cheering residents and tables of abundant donations and began to pass the rows and rows of refrigerator trucks – there to remove bodies and body parts. "That’s when you start saying this is real," Hallinan said. The Spencerport crew had to get their credentials using two forms of identification. Then they passed through eight security check points. One of the things that amazed Jeff Tewksbury was the pile of cameras and video cameras at the final checkpoint. No one was allowed past the final National Guard checkpoint with a camera, the huge pile served as a warning, Tewksbury said, that no infractions would be tolerated. On each of the four sides of the pile of rubble, emergency crews are posted. Included at each post are basic and advanced life support ambulances, NYC fire department and police department personnel, doctors, nurses and pharmacists. There are also FBI agents, state law enforcement officers and other investigators constantly moving through the post. Although they wore masks about 80 percent of the time they were at the site, Tewksbury said the smell was strong. A penetrating smoke smell arose from buildings that were still smoldering after two weeks. Tewksbury started on the north side post. The first patient treated on his shift was a chaplain from a Texas search and rescue squad. He was having trouble breathing, on what was his ninth day of giving comfort and counseling to his squad and others. They also dealt with a New York City police officer who had dislocated her shoulder while searching through the rubble. She hadn’t wanted to quit working, but her fellow officers forced her into seeking medical treatment. At that, the officer just wanted on-site medical personnel to just "pop it back in." It took quite a while to convince her she needed to go to the hospital for x-rays. "Every one of the New York City people we met were like that," Tewksbury said. "They weren’t willing to walk away. They weren’t willing to give up, even if they were hurt." Between patients, the Spencerport members would walk around a little, watching the nearly 2,000 workers remove debris. One of the most unforgettable sights was the towering pile of demolished fire trucks and ambulances. They also saw huge bins marked "airplane parts." They were amazed by the deep gouges in some of the surrounding buildings, and the fire escapes filled with paper. On Hallinan’s shift, the Spencerport crew transported a New York City policeman to a hospital because he was experiencing chest pains. The 34 year-old officer, who Hallinan had befriended the night before, was sure that the pain was just from his body armor being too tight. He suffered a heart attack after arriving at the hospital. A week later, Spencerport received an e-mail from the officer, "Thank-you for taking me in. You saved my life." But, of course, most of the stories coming out of Ground Zero don’t have a happy ending. Tewksbury was on duty when two bodies were recovered from the debris. Rescuers stood at silent attention as the removal procession passed by, Tewksbury said the silence remained in the air for a long time afterwards. "You look at the pile of debris and say, ‘Oh my God, there’s still 5,000 people in there," Tewksbury said. "That’s more than the population of the Village of Spencerport … that’s our whole community gone." One Spencerport Fire Department member has a friend who works at NYC Firestation #5. That station lost four firefighters in the collapse of the towers. Hallinan was asked to deliver an envelope to the station, but no one was there … the door area was full of flowers, cards and candles. He stuffed the envelope under the door. Later, in an odd coincidence, the addressee saw the Spencerport lettering on Hallinan’s uniform and thanked him for the delivery. Other NYC police and fire personnel were touched by the tribute that Spencerport managed to have painted on their ambulance before going to NYC. "In memory of the FDNY and the NYPD. We stand by our brothers and sisters." For Barone, the devastation in Manhattan was especially poignant because he spent part of his Coast Guard career stationed at Governor’s Island. "Every day I stood there looking up at those towers." Last year while on a trip for Kodak, he cut through the World Trade Center every day to go to Wall Street. "It’s hard for it to really get through that they’re gone," he said. As the Spencerport crew arrived back in Rochester with the other local crews that went at the same time – Henrietta, Honeoye Falls/Mendon, Irondequoit and Pittsford – they were greeted at the Monroe County public safety training center by Governor George Pataki. Back at their Spencerport base, they were greeted by their peers who had worked extra shifts to cover their absence. "Not one call went unanswered even while seven members were gone," Hallinan said. Many Spencerport residents have called the ambulance headquarters asking what they could do to help. Tewksbury said it’s part of the national awakening of the need to help. He tells residents to consider joining the ambulance or fire department. "You don’t need to be a paramedic, we need dispatchers, too," Hallinan said. "If you had told me two months ago that we would be needed to support the New York City emergency service, I would have laughed. Things are different now." How different American lives will be in the long run is not something that can be predicted at this time. But Hallinan believes the changes will be long lasting. "Unfortunately our culture is very quick to forget. This cannot be forgotten." Tewksbury doesn’t believe the terrorist attack will be forgotten either. "It was a wound that hurt all of us. If you go there your wound begins to bleed. We all need to help in someway." Note: Anyone interested in finding out more about the Spencerport Ambulance Corps can call the membership line at 352-1717. Other area emergency service providers would also like to hear from potential volunteers. Call non-emergency phone numbers for information on volunteering.
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