LAWRENCE COUNTY Volunteers at 9/11 site earn recognition in D.C.

A video tribute to the volunteers is planned.
By LAURE CIOFFI
VINDICATOR NEW CASTLE BUREAU
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- Eight Lawrence County residents quietly made their way to Somerset County to help sort and clean up the airplane wreckage that resulted from the Sept. 11 terrorists attacks.
But until today, few people knew of those efforts.
Those eight people -- a mix of volunteer firefighters, police and emergency medical technicians -- had asked not to be publicly identified, said county commissioner Roger DeCarbo.
Honored in Washington: DeCarbo, however, traveled to Washington, D.C., today to accept an honor on behalf of the county for their efforts from the National Association of Counties, which had its annual conference over the weekend.
"These people [from Lawrence County] were able to help after the federal investigators left," DeCarbo said. They aided others in cleaning up the plane wreckage and helping identify the bodies of those who perished on the flight, he said.
The awards given out today at a luncheon are to show gratitude to counties that sent volunteers to help in Somerset County, the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, said Tiffany Ricci, spokeswoman for NACo.
Counties from Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey and Virginia were to receive plaques for the efforts of their volunteers, she said.
Video tribute: A video tribute to the volunteers was planned as well as a speech by U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft. President Bush was also expected to attend.
Plans for the luncheon included highlighting the cooperation of Pennsylvania counties during the crisis and using them as a model for the rest of the country.
"Pennsylvania was already on the cutting edge [before Sept. 11] of what other counties are just now trying to do. They had this consortium of 13 counties that had agreements to work together in the event of a disaster. This helped them respond effectively in September, and we want to show other counties that this type of planning needs to take place," Ricci said.
Lawrence County is part of a group of 13 western Pennsylvania counties that formed an anti-terrorism task force in 1998 to help respond as a group to any threat of terrorism.
cioffi@vindy.com