AS I entered the hotel where I was set to meet Peter Critsimilios, I unconsciously braced myself for the kind of rhetoric that emanates from the US concerning last year’s attacks on the World Trade Centre.
Instead, I met a man carrying the weight of a city’s wreath on his shoulders, an unassuming mark of horror, hope and responsibility hidden behind resolute eyes.
A fireman from the New York Fire Department, Critsimilios found himself at the epicentre of September 11’s tragic events, a day whose memory hangs over his every word.
Dressed in a tight ‘Harlem Fire House’ t-shirt and jeans, Critsimilios commanded an air of self-discipline and restraint in his effort to relay his experiences of the tragic disaster.
Like many other firemen involved in the rescue and recovery operation on the WTC, Critsimilios was off-duty when he heard the orders on the radio for all firemen to go directly to their respective fire stations.
Preparations were made with the utmost urgency as trucks were loaded with all manner of tools – including crow bars, shovels, torches, generators, lighting, water and medical equipment. In the morning light of the next day, he described scenes of complete devastation.
The Greek-American described an eerie quiet hanging over the entire site. Burning fires, acrid smoke and the awful knowledge of people stuck under debris created a hostile environment for rescue crews. The men immediately set to work, resting wherever and whenever they could.
“(We) were just going to sleep, waking up, getting some food and going back to the debris pile,” said Critsimilios. They changed it to 24-hour shifts but even this proved exhausting.
The schedule was again modified to get a rotation of people on a regular basis – giving the fire department a 24-hour presence, seven days a week from the initial attack until today. They are most likely to stay until June.
The rescue team performed without panicking. In opening stages of the tragedy, they succeeded in evacuating over 20,000 people. Despite the dramatic nature of the event, Critsimilios said his associates stayed focused on the task at hand.
“You would just stand there and look, but you couldn’t look for too long because it was all-encompassing and very difficult to process.”
The logistics of the operation were daunting. The tallest skyscraper in the US, constructed using 30 tonne beams of steel had fallen to its feet burying a mass of people in the process. Heavy-duty equipment and manpower was needed to cut and remove the steel.
Critsimilios revealed a fragment of his personal anguish when he added, “I think the fire department performed brilliantly. It’s just a tragic thing for us losing so many of our best people. Many personal friends, people I admire, respect, have a wonderful working relationship with. it’s been very difficult to say the least.”
The human tragedy surrounding the disaster enveloped the minds of many rescuers who witnessed heart-wrenching scenes and walls lined with photographs asking, “Have you seen my father?”
The people of New York gathered on roads leading to the site offering encouragement and support to workers. People volunteered to serve food, give massages and treat the wounded.
“The response from the general public, the country at large and the world was very supportive, caring and compassionate; it helped, it helped tremendously.”
The fire department dealt with the psychological impact by providing stress-debriefings and professional support for all its firemen and their families.
When asked about his personal experience with the stress, Critsimilios replied, “I’m dealing with it, other people are dealing with it. My heart goes out to the wives of all those dead firemen, to their children, to their parents. They are the ones that now must carry on.”
The fireman waves a flag of admiration to his city as he points out that New Yorkers rallied around each other in the face of adversity He refutes claims of prejudice towards people of Arab-descent. “We are a picture of the human race, the human face of New York. We are a city of multi-nationals and many religions and that hasn’t changed. America is still a place were anything is possible.”
Throughout the interview, Critsimilios’ manner was composed and sombre. He spoke most passionately when he stressed the gratitude he felt for the support from the Cyprus Fire Brigade who will present him with a cheque from a collection made for the ‘9/11 Relief Fund’ – a charity for the survivors of the 343 firemen killed.
Invited by Laiki Insurance and the Cyprus Fire Service to participate in Fire Safety Week, Critsimilios will conduct a presentation of the rescue operation at the WTC using previously unreleased photographs today at 6.45pm at the Laiki Sporting Club.
When asked whether he would continue his presentations in other countries, he replied, “I’m a good fireman, like a good soldier, I do what I’m told. But I’m most anxious to get back to NY and get back to what I do which is run into burning buildings.”
The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.
