Mahoning County safety forces gather to remember the fallen

Safety services have changed since the attacks, the keynote speaker said.
By SEAN BARRON
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
CANFIELD -- The unprecedented events that took place four years ago and claimed thousands of lives have taught many lessons, one of which is the importance of all police, firefighters and others working together to protect the public.
That was the main message delivered during a public service Sunday evening at the Village Green. The remembrance was set up to pay respect to the nearly 3,000 people -- including 343 New York City firefighters and 37 police officers of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey -- who were killed at the World Trade Center site.
Also remembered were those who lost their lives at the Pentagon and in a field near Shanksville, Pa. President Bush has declared Sept. 11 as Patriot Day.
Most police and fire departments in Mahoning County as well as emergency medical technicians and other emergency personnel participated in the event, sponsored by the Cardinal Joint Fire District.
"The family of safety forces was reborn and re-enlightened on Sept. 11, 2001," said Judge James C. Evans of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court, who was the hourlong event's keynote speaker.
Changes to the nation
In his speech, "A Four-Year Reminder -- The Rebirth of the Family," Judge Evans reminded the several hundred people who attended of some ways the nation has changed in the last four years.
"Sept. 11 changed our world, and it changed us," he said. We can't fool ourselves into thinking that we're [always] safe."
Judge Evans said that the terrorist attacks led to the "rebirth of our safety services" and that most Americans have adapted to living with the threat of terrorism.
He said that a "semblance of normality" has settled in since 9/11 but that the attacks have "changed our attitudes and beliefs" with regard to safety and other issues, and that those changes still reverberate.
Robert Tieche, chief of the Cardinal Joint Fire District, who also organized the service, echoed those sentiments, saying that since the terrorist attacks, his department has developed a stronger relationship and better-coordinated efforts with law enforcement and emergency responders. The events of 9/11 have driven home the importance of such a relationship, Tieche noted.
"It's very, very important we cooperate and work together," he said, adding that about 60 percent of police agencies in the county attended as well as around 80 percent of Mahoning County fire departments.
Patriotic display
A block of state Route 46 south of U.S. Route 224 was closed to traffic and was used to stage firetrucks from various departments, all with their ladders raised. Draped from two ladders was a 30-foot-by-60-foot American flag, donated by Carl Greenway, a manager at Fyda Freightliner Youngstown of Austintown.
Police officers, firefighters and emergency personnel stood together at attention on either side of a gazebo while an honor guard played taps. Other honor guards took part in a flag presentation, lowering of the colors and a flag folding.
The event also included a firefighter's prayer and a police officer's prayer, as well as a fly-over by a Stat MedEvac helicopter and a ringing of the bell to remember 9/11 victims.
Judge Evans said the unity he sees between firefighters and officers inspired him to come up with the event's theme. Judge Evans' background in law enforcement includes working for the Ohio State Highway Patrol and being in charge of security at Youngstown State University.
Tieche praised the judge for agreeing to speak and said he was pleased with the turnout. In their daily lives, people need to remember 9/11, he added.
"It's important that we never forget what happened on Sept. 11, 2001," and the Cardinal fire department won't allow it to happen, he said.