Community Corner

For the Brotherhood: Springfield Firefighters Responded to 9/11 with Heroism and Comradery

Sacrifices made during and after national tragedy.

Carlo Palumbo knew when he woke up that September 11, 2001 would be a day to remember. In fact, he was looking forward to it. The recently married Springfield fire fighter was set to embark on his honeymoon the next day.

His plans changed, obviously.

Along with 10 other members of Springfield’s Fire Department, Palumbo was dispatched to New York City shortly after the first tower fell. Instead of flying off to the beach with his new wife, he spent 36 hours covering a Staten Island Fire house whose crew had rushed to respond to the Towers.

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They were stationed at the FDNY’s 23rd battalion firehouse in Great Kills in Staten Island. The house’s crew was among the first responders to the attacks, and the entire firehouse headed downtown. Springfield covered the calls in the neighborhood.

It was the first time anyone in Springfield FD had been to Great Kills. Palumbo said they would have been driving blind if not for the volunteer assistance of a retired fire fighter from the house.

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“He walked up to us with an old helmet and jacket,” Palumbo said. “He must have been 70 years old. He asked us what he could do, and he was our guide to alarms in the city.”

Palumbo said the calls were mostly routine, save from the large number of smoke condition reports caused by the felled towers. Nonetheless, local residents were grateful to have the house covered. Many opened their homes and food supplies to the firefighters.

“People would come up to you on the street and thank you or say god bless,” Palumbo said.

Others reached out with their concern.

“We had a lot of family members come up to us and want to know the status of the FDNY members,” Palumbo said.

Springfield’s fire fighters put in grueling hours in cramped conditions; Palumbo slept on top of a fire engine that night. Eventually, the house’s crew returned.

“They were covered in that white debris that everyone got caught up in,” Palumbo said. “They were quiet. All we said was ‘how could we help you.’ There was no [talking] about what they saw.”

Despite the shellshock of the initial meeting, the Springfield Department and their colleagues from Great Kills forged a lasting bond.

Firemen are firemen are fireman,” Palumbo said. “It’s a brotherhood.”

The departments kept in touch, with Springfield firefighters becoming a regular presence at Great Kills memorials and benefits. Closer to home, Springfield Fire Fighters held a “boot drive” where members of the department stood at Springfield intersections with fire fighter uniform boots collecting money for the UFA Widow's and Children's Fund.

“We had people pulling their cars over to write us checks,” Palumbo said. The firefighters collected $13,000 and reached into their own pockets to bring the total up to $20,000. The FDNY firefighters also came out to Springfield, with the Springfield FMBA union treating them to a day of golf at Baltusrol.

Palumbo ended up rescheduling his honeymoon for Nov. 12. That day, American Airlines Flight 587 crashed in Queens.

This time, Palumbo took his wife to the beach.


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