The terrorist attacks on New York and Washington D.C. Sept. 11, 2001 left an impact on many people throughout the county.
One of the people those events impacted is Mike Kennedy, Green River’s fire chief.
Kennedy said it seems odd that there are people who don’t remember what happened 13 years ago, citing an article he read about how the event is taught in history classes.
For Kennedy, the memory of where he was is as clear as his memory of where he was at when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated.
At the time of the attacks, Kennedy served as assistant fire chief under Chief George Nomis.
“If I remember correctly, it was just past 7 o’clock,” Kennedy said.
At that time, he received a call from his wife telling him that a plane flew into a building in New York, telling him to turn on the station’s TV.
Initially, Kennedy remembers everyone believing the first crash being a tragic accident, a misconception that would quickly dissipate when the second tower was hit.
“It was quite an experience. You almost thought it was an accident.” Kennedy said.
He said the collapsing towers resembled a pancake collapse, a situation created by the floors where the jets crashed burning so hot that the steel supports within the building failed, resulting in both towers falling into themselves.
Kennedy said he thinks the attacks has such a real impact because people watched how it happened live. Contrasting that with when President Kennedy was killed, televisions weren’t a prevalent at the time, which meant people were able to find out about the event, but weren’t as capable of watching events unfold as they were during the Sept. 11 attacks.
Kennedy also said the attacks also changed a lot in regards to how prepared fire departments and other first responders prepare for the worst. It resulted in the formation of the Homeland Security department and more work in identifying possible targets for terrorist to strike. While Wyoming seems a world away from seemingly high-profile targets in Washington, D.C., New York or California, Kennedy said I-80 and the tunnels near Green River would make an appealing target. Kennedy remembered an incident where a propane tanker crashing near the tunnels resulted in traffic being diverted through the city. Despite having the city open as an alternate route around the crash, traffic still backed up beyond Rock Springs.
Regarding the number of first responders who were killed that day, Kennedy said firefighters, along with police officers and medics, are taught not to rush into situations like what occurred at the World Trace Center, with responders often opting to take calculated risks in regards to making rescues. However, Kennedy said it isn’t hard to get caught up in the situation.
Kennedy said fire fighting is a fulfilling job, but notes that fighting fires probably takes up the fewest number of calls they receive. Many departments, including Green River’s and Rock Spring’s fire departments, respond to medical calls and catastrophes not related to fire. The Green River Fire Department now has equipment to deal with chemical spills and swift water rescues. They’re often called to help people stranded on the ice at the Flaming Gorge or injured while riding the mountain bike trails outside Green River. Fire isn’t the main they deal with.
All the while however, Kennedy said they’re training and preparing for the next fire or catastrophe. Many of the volunteers at the department train for hundreds of hours a year in preparation. Some of it a result of the events that happened on Sept. 11, 2001.
“Hopefully, we’ll never lose as many as we did during 9/11,” Kennedy said.
In Sweetwater County, some plan to observe the anniversary of the attacks. A program will take place tomorrow at Western Wyoming Community College at 5 p.m. commemorating the and honoring those who died during the 9/11 attacks.
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