Todd Weiss is no longer the man he was on September 11, 2001. The Edmonton firefighter’s time at Ground Zero has a lot to do with it.
When the planes collided with the World Trade Center in New York City, Weiss was working in Edmonton Fire Room No. 1. He watched in horror as the towers collapsed.
New York was a long way off, but given his job, Weiss still felt connected.
He knew that probably thousands of people had died. He knew that many of his fellow firefighters were probably dead, too.
When the dust settled, 2,753 people were killed in the New York attacks, including 343 firefighters.
The scene was painful to witness and irresistible.
“I like helping people. I want to be in the center of everything,” says Weiss.
So when he got a phone call asking if he could go to New York to help the Red Cross answer, he agreed.
Weiss had been to many disaster zones before, but when he reached Ground Zero in early October, he was overwhelmed.
“Nothing prepares you for that. It is difficult to describe. The enormity was incredible, ”says Weiss.
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For three weeks, the firefighter was stationed at the South Respite Center on the edge of the impact zone. Staff provided support to everyone working to clean up the debris and investigate the landslide. He gave first aid and coordinated medical care. Sometimes he just helped people eat lunch.
One day, he remembers a New York Firefighter captain who walked downtown. Slowly more and more firefighters joined him. In a matter of minutes, the break from working on “the pile” became more of a therapy session.
Weiss says everyone started sharing their stories of what happened to them on 9/11. He says they opened because Weiss was another firefighter who understood them.
“I guess what I learned was just the trauma they went through,” says Weiss. “It was more than I imagined.
“I was glad that they could share with me. I know from my work that it is important to talk. “
As for what they said, Weiss won’t share. He says the group spoke to him because of the bond they shared as firefighters. He will share those stories with other firefighters, he says, but with no one else.
The talks were initially a way of dealing with trauma, but over the years, they also helped Weiss and others he knows to understand themselves and their work much better.
Now, 20 years later, Weiss says his time at Ground Zero changed him.
“Initially, I said that I hadn’t changed. Over the years, I have come to realize that this was the case, ”he says.
“Before, I really didn’t appreciate the trip. I always liked the destination and now I appreciate the trip much more. “
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Weiss says that now he is the one who tells stories. As the years go by, you see how important that is.
Now a district chief, he leads many young firefighters, many of whom were not even born or do not remember September 11, 2001.
They may all be working in Edmonton, not New York, but Weiss makes sure everyone understands the sacrifices others have made in doing their chosen job.
“It is important that we do not forget it. We cannot forget our brothers and sisters. Your sacrifice is important. “
It’s a point that was highlighted to Weiss when he returned to New York for the first time since 2001.
Last year, he returned to Ground Zero and visited the museum and the 9/11 memorial.
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Weiss knew the trip would bring back many memories and emotions, but says he was surprised by the way it made him feel.
At one point in the museum, Weiss says he saw and heard one of the alarms that go off when firefighters are in danger.
A flood of memories came to him of a time responding to a fire in Edmonton in which two firefighters were killed.
Weiss had to get away from that area of the museum. He was overwhelmed with emotion.
It’s another sign, he says, of a bond between firefighters, no matter where they work, a bond forged by pain and sacrifice that has been strengthened over the past two decades.
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