I was saddened to learn that the firetruck purchased by people in greater Akron, Ohio, and donated to Ladder Company 163 in Queens will be taken out of service next year. Somehow, I’d hoped the legacy of caring that Akron had demonstrated would be in evidence longer.
In the days after the terrorist attacks of 9-11, people felt both helpless and yet strangely driven to do something for the people in New York. I was a senior manager at the Akron Beacon Journal at that time. In fact, several of us were in a meeting when the plane hit the first tower on that awful Tuesday morning.
I spent that day shuttling between the newsroom and production department and was witness to an incredible effort by reporters, editors, photographers, columnists, pressmen, designers, truck drivers and others to put out an extra afternoon edition on September 11. It irritated me that some called this a souvenir edition. It was much more than that, with local reporting, sidebars, information graphics and columns that tried to make sense of what was still incomprehensible.
Just getting the edition on the street that day required the coordination of scores of staffers, many of whom came directly to work when they learned of the attacks.
In the days that followed, we were all glued to our TVs, watching what was still a rescue operation. There were occasional rumors that someone had been found alive, but those hopes were just as quickly dashed. Soon the mission changed from rescue to recovery.
That’s when I got the idea to buy a firetruck for New York. I’d been watching CNN before going to work, and I saw a huge fire engine completely covered in white dust being towed out of ground zero. The newscasters talked about the firefighters who perished on 9-11 and the loss of nearly 100 pieces of equipment. I thought, “We ought to buy them a new firetruck.”
That morning, in a meeting in the publisher’s office, we discussed how we could help the people of New York. Some suggested raising money for a college fund for the children of those who died in the attacks. Others discussed a blood drive for the local Red Cross. Neither idea got traction. I was reluctant to bring up my idea. I thought it was crazy, more of a pipe-dream than an actionable suggestion, but I offered it anyway. It immediately resonated with everyone in the room.
Then Editor Jan Leach got behind it, as did Jim Crutchfield, the publisher. We questioned whether we could actually raise $350,000 in a short time, but everyone agreed it was worth a shot. First Merit Bank came on board to handle the money, and the Akron Community Foundation, Acme (a local grocery store chain), and the Akron Fire Department soon joined the cause.
But it was the Beacon Journal newsroom and editorial staff that made the Firetruck Fund a success. Columnist David Giffels wrote a daily front-page column that kept the drive in front of readers for the duration of September. Reporters peppered the paper with stories of children emptying their piggy banks to give money, and of a woman who went door to door in her senior citizens high-rise apartment building collecting dollar bills and pocket change. She proudly donated the near $100 she collected.
When the drive closed less than a month later, we’d raised $1.4 million – enough to buy a 95 ft. ladder truck, two ambulances and three police cars for New York City. The ambulances and police cars disappeared from service years ago, according to a story in today’s Beacon Journal. The firetruck will be retired sometime next year, as required by contract with the firefighters’ union.
I wonder what will become of it? It doesn’t matter, I guess. For tens years it stood as a reminder to New Yorkers that regular people somewhere in mid-America cared. And that’s good enough for me.
One last note. After being built in Wisconsin, the firetruck had to pass through Akron on its way to New York. We took it around to several locations in town to show it off, but we made it a point to take it to that senior apartment complex so the old folks could see what their $100 helped buy. It was a fitting payback for the sacrifice they’d made.
John Murphy, right, with Akron Mayor Donald Plusquellic in front of the 95-ft. ladder truck on its way to New York.
My first thought while reading your post was that it is hard to imagine that while the towers were going down, reporters, photographers, etc. were rushing to work. It was very difficult to think about work – it seemed so trivial when we seeing an actual life and death struggle right before our eyes. – Not that I’m ungrateful for their efforts, more like I’m in awe.
My next thought is how amazing you are to come up with the idea to buy a fire truck and other emergency vehicles for NY. All of us wanted to do something for NY – we were happy to give money – but it never occurred to me to do anything as grand as raise $1.4 mil in funds. I guess – like so many of us, I didn’t think someone like me could make that big of a difference. I didn’t have the grand vision like you did, and I am certain that even though they are retiring those vehicles, the gesture will long be remembered.
Thanks for the kind words, Kelly. In the case of the Firetruck Fund, the people who did the really heaving lifting were the news and editorial people who kept the drive in front of the public for three weeks. The idea caught on with everyone because it was something specific and concrete. Everyone from kids to seniors bought into the idea of buying a firetruck. Sometimes the best ideas are the ones that seem outrageous at first.
At the time of the attacks, everything changed for NYC. People didn’t know who to trust. Donating equipment was immensely variable for everyone. Thank you.
This actually answered my downside, thank you!
That is a great tribute, John… what a community spirit that was, all the collections & work to reach their goal. Sad to see this will be retired…
Norma Doiron
@the LEARNED Preneur
Thanks, Norma. It really was an amazing job by the people of Akron.
What a great and uplifting story. You saw a need and found a way to fill it–and then some. Thanks for sharing this. I love stories like this.
Great story ~ thanks for sharing! Loved the photos, too :-)
Thank for posting this! It was a sacrifice – which will never be forgotten…
Great story. Thanks for sharing. So many stories like this across our country of people reaching out and caring for others.
Everything comes and goes in seasons. Your hard work and the sacrifices of so many in your hometown are not lost because those vehicles are out of service because the energy was about giving which never grows old or expires!
That’s true, Elise. Good point. Thanks for writing!
Truly inspiring! Thanks so much for sharing:)
Wonderful! I totally loved this! A lot of small things can add up to a whole lot of something!
What a wonderful story! Thank you!! It makes me wonder how many other ‘giving’ stories people have that we are yet to hear about. The only good thing to ever come out of tragedy is the uniting of others to help. Thank you, and all those who gave to make the gift for NYC happen.
Do you remember how people stepped up to help after 9-11? The red cross and dozens of other agencies were flooded with people who wanted to do something. It really is amazing how tragedy sometimes compels us to take action.
Amazing! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for sharing that story. Wow, how gratifying that must have been to have your idea be so readily accepted .. and compounded. A wonderful thing Akron and your newspaper staff did for the city of New York. Kudos.
I am surprised the union requires sound fire trucks to be retired after 10 years. What happens to older firetrucks that have been let out to pasture? (Didn’t realize there was such a thing)
I don’t know what happens. One town here in Ohio sells their equipment at auction. I got the idea that this truck in NYC has hit the end of its life expectancy. It cost $950,000 new!
What an inspiring story…I loved the part at the end when you said, “we made it a point to take it to that senior apartment complex so the old folks could see what their $100 helped buy.” They must have be so happy! Thank you, for sharing this :)
They were! We were on a tight schedule, and we had to wait for them to come out with their canes. So while we were waiting, the FD anchored the truck and fully extended the bucket out to the top of the building. It was an exciting day for the residents of that building.
What a wonderful gesture of appreciation and remembrance! Now 9/11 has a meaning for you that is connected with love and caring in so many ways and you made it so for others too.
What an inspiring post!
Thanks, Carl. Amazing what people can do when they come together for a single purpose, isn’t it?