TWENTIETH ANNIVERSARY 2001-2021
It's been 20 years; do we still
REMEMBER?
BY HAILEY MINTON
The North View Fire Department reflects on the terrorist attack on September 11th and how we have changed since then. Deputy Chief Jeramiah Jones was on a church mission in Madrid Spain when one of his friends called and told him what happened. They rushed to find a TV. “We saw the images, and it was pretty harrowing. There was fear of the unknown, a feeling of not being safe, and a fear of going to war because of how many lives were lost that day.” He returned home shortly thereafter and described the country as totally united. “We’ve forgotten how we banded together. It was fresh on our minds, and everyone wanted to help and was empathetic. That seems to have faded through the years.” When he returned from his mission and was ready to start 16
northogdenconnection.com | September 2021
his career as a firefighter, there was an overwhelming sense of volunteerism. He said that the career path was very competitive, and the events on that day created that. “It instilled patriotism in a lot of our citizens… Those who are drawn to this career jump in and take control of situations.” When it comes to fight or flight, firefighters have fight in them. The events of that day reinforce the idea that they never know what type of call is going to come in, and they need to stay sharp. Jeremiah said helping people and being with them when they’re having an emergency is rewarding, because he gets to see that what they do make a difference. However, sometimes they see people die, and they have to deal with the emotions and grief that come with that. “Sometimes, we do everything we can, and it doesn’t work out… In the last 10-12 years, we’ve seen a shift in the fire service.” He explained the mentality among firefighters used to be ‘if you’re not tough
