On The Road: California

Ladder 21
San Mateo, Fire Department

San Mateo lies 2,566 miles away from Ground Zero. Is there any surprise that on the Ladder 21, San Mateo Fire Department there is a simple sticker. On 9/11, Ladder 21 FDNY, lost six heroes. The sticker was a tribute. 


The last three days, I have had the privilege of traveling with FDNY Fire Chief, John Carroll. A thirty year veteran of the department, he is the son of a firefighter and has two sons, “On the job’. For the Carroll family, like so many on the department, it is a family affair.

FDNY Chief John Carroll

We are visiting with other fire departments and local “civilians” and telling the Steven Siller story and what the Tunnel To Towers Foundation is all about. John is a volunteer. 


Listening to him, I understand why he puts so much energy into this effort.

 John has the same New York accent that anyone in America would recognize and I’m pretty sure that is part of the charm. So far it has been very successful trip, in terms of building new friends and seeing the same encouraging signs that there may very well be Tunnel To Tower Runs in San Mateo, San Francisco and Fresno. (And that was just Monday)

Training Firefighters

In San Mateo we were lucky to visit there on a training day and saw five different departments all training and working together to stay masters of their craft. 


Inside the skill sets are the teams that wait to do one function, save a fellow firefighter, others who fight the fire, search and rescue, contain and other team tasks.  Just like in the military, they train for situations that are inherently dangerous and deadly.  


 Just like the army language I learned, it was quickly evident that there is a whole language, codes, signals and calls that firefighters communicate with each other.

We met  a Battalion Chief who had sons in the Marines and who had multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. He said it in a matter a fact way that professionals do. He was proud of his Marines. The rest of the firefighters were confident in their abilities and leaders.

I don’t know how many runs that we are going to have by the week of 11 September 2012, but I know that every time someone hears the story and then what good is being done with the proceeds, they step up to the plate and follow the footsteps.

If you would like to know more about how to put together a run, we will help you make it happen in your city. Contact us HERE.

Roger
Fresno, California