Firefighters, rescue personnel assist in efforts to restore calm after attacks.
By: Mark Moffa and Scott Morgan
Local rescue workers were among those called to the New York City area Tuesday after two hijacked commercial airliners plunged into the World Trade Center towers in Manhattan.
Six Washington Township firefighters were called to assist emergency personnel in treating victims of the disaster, which resulted in the collapse of the towers and thousands of suspected fatalities.
The event was just one of three attacks Tuesday, as a commercial jet flew into the Pentagon building in Washington, D.C., and another crashed in southwestern Pennsylvania. As of The Messenger Press’ Tuesday evening deadline, the only confirmed deaths were those of the 266 people on the four hijacked planes.
Two Washington firefighters Lt. Kevin Brink and Firefighter Jason Palmer are members of the New Jersey Urban Search and Rescue Task Force. They were called to New York City to assist in rescue efforts, Lt. Dennis Symons Jr. said.
Washington Fire Capt. David Horsnall and Firefighters Dan Schaffner, Simon Hernandez and Ed Haemmerle responded to North Jersey to treat victims from the incident who were transported to New Jersey via ferry. Victims reportedly were being treated at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford.
"The entire Washington Township Fire Department is deeply saddened by today’s tragic and shocking events," Lt. Symons said. "As members of the nation’s fire service, we stand ready to offer our full support to the fire departments of New York, Washington, D.C., Virginia and Pennsylvania in response to today’s tragic and shocking events."
Allentown First Aid Squad reported its two ambulances were sent to a location in Monmouth County to stand by if needed.
Officials at the Millstone First Aid Squad said two ambulances and one fire truck were sent to Atlantic Highlands near Sandy Hook earlier Tuesday to help ease transportation efforts to area hospitals. Victims from New York City were being taken to Hoboken, then ferried to the Atlantic Highlands.
Area schools, businesses and churches also responded to reports of the attacks Tuesday.
Allentown canceled its Borough Council meeting scheduled for Tuesday night.
Many local businesses could be seen lowering flags to half staff and churches held special services Tuesday evening to pray for the victims and their families.
In Plumsted, due to the township’s location near two military bases, the school district canceled after-school activities for Tuesday.
Superintendent Gerald Woehr said the school district was following the same emergency procedures used during hurricanes. Parents who wished to pick up their children were allowed, but schools themselves did not close.
He said given that many township residents are or are related to local military personnel who might have been called to duty, that township elementary school students were not sent home unless an adult was known to be present.
"If there is no adult present, we will keep the children in school and make arrangements to have them picked up later," he said Tuesday.
Dr. Woehr said the district’s major concerns centered on both the township’s proximity to Maguire Air Force Base and Fort Dix, and its proximity to the Oyster Creek Nuclear Facility in Forked River, which is approximately 20 miles southeast of Plumsted.
Dr. Woehr said the school district was planning to meet after school Tuesday to set up a telephone tree and to arrange counseling services for students who may have known victims of the attack.
In all districts, parents were able to pick up their children early.
In Upper Freehold, Superintendent Robert Connelly said an e-mail was sent to all staff members Tuesday morning instructing them how to inform students of the incident.
Teachers in grades 5 through 12 were asked to convey the news to students. Administrators met with teachers in kindergarten through fourth grade to assist them in notifying their students.
In addition, teachers were instructed to watch for reactions from students. Some students who were visibly upset were referred to the child study team and guidance offices.
The principals and vice principals searched files to identify students with parents who work in New York City. Dr. Connelly said 16 to 20 students at the high school and about a dozen at the elementary/middle school had parents or close relatives working in the city, but not necessarily at the World Trade Center.
"The number who actually work at the World Trade Center is fewer," he said. "This is very upsetting to everyone."
After-school activities were canceled in Upper Freehold.
In Washington, school board President Michele Siekerka said teachers boarded all buses to make sure no children were dropped off at homes where they would be unsupervised.
She said a PTA phone chain was mobilized to make sure all students’ parents were accounted for, and that Sharon School was prepared to stay open as late as possible if children could not go home due to parents detained in New York.
After-school activities were not canceled in Washington.
As of Tuesday evening, all school districts were planning to open Wednesday, barring directives to do otherwise from state or federal officials.
According to press reports, two of the planes hijacked were American Airlines jets and two belonged to United airlines.
The four planes reportedly were carrying a total of 266 people.
An American Airlines Boeing 767 Boston-Los Angeles flight and a United Airlines Boeing 767 hit the World Trade Center towers around 9 a.m. Tuesday.
An American Airlines Boeing 757 Washington-Los Angeles flight hit the Pentagon building Tuesday as well.
A United Airlines Boeing 757 Newark-San Francisco flight crashed southeast of Pittsburgh on Tuesday.
In an unprecedented move, all air traffic was suspended nationwide Tuesday, as the United States sealed itself off from the rest of the world.
Regionally, all access to New York City was prohibited, and the New Jersey Turnpike was closed north of Exit 11. Many local avenues of mass transit, including New Jersey Transit, SEPTA and Amtrak lines were shut down.
New Jersey Acting Gov. Donald DiFrancesco on Tuesday said that the states of New Jersey and New York have been joined in a mutual aid pact since 1956 that will allow New Jersey to deploy its resources to aid New York.
"I have ordered that the entire state be placed under a state of emergency. This order will allow us to respond to today’s events in a rapid and effective manner," he said. "The State Police and the National Guard have been placed on a high state of alert."
Acting Gov. DiFrancesco said school closings were at the discretion of local district officials.

