Stunned squad recalls disaster

‘For 10 minutes, no one said anything and a lot of people got out of the ambulance and cried.’

By: Jennifer Potash
   As soon as the call went out to all members of the Princeton First Aid & Rescue Squad the morning of Sept. 11, everybody wanted to go to the World Trade Center to help.
   "The hardest part of it was staying behind," said Chief Greg Paulson of the more than 20 squad members who responded to the call.
   A handful of members talked about their experiences at "Ground Zero," the site of the collapsed World Trade Center, in the hours and days following the terrorist attacks. Crews from the squad went to help Sept. 11, 12, and 18.
   Standing in the ambulance bay of the squad house on Harrison Street on Wednesday, members Adam Tavolaro, Shannon Koch, Eric Lemmo andFarrah Mikhail recounted the frustration of being ready to help, but having to wait for hours and hours with nothing to do.
   On Sept. 11, the crew stayed at Liberty State Park in Jersey City and wound up treating only one person. But the following day, the crew moved from one staging area to another in New York City and helped treat other emergency workers involved in the rescue efforts, Ms. Koch said.
   Squad members Mary Mulcare, Andrew Selder, Spencer Shangkuan and Brian Sweger, who also went to New York City, were unable to attend the Wednesday session.
   Once in the city, and observing the smoke pouring from what was formerly the twin towers, the squad members were stunned.
   "The TV couldn’t give it justice," Mr. Tavolaro said. "For 10 minutes, no one said anything and a lot of people got out of the ambulance and cried."
   The outpouring of kindness by strangers deeply touched many squad members.
   "In the light of so much evil, there was so much good," said Ms. Mikhail, a Princeton University senior and squad member.
   Volunteers plied the squad members with fresh baked goods and cold bottled water and even tossed McDonald’s hamburgers into the ambulance as the crew prepared to leave, Ms. Koch said.
   Each day, residents would line the streets from the Chelsea Piers to the Holland Tunnel holding hand-made signs proclaiming "Thank you" and "Don’t give up hope," Mr. Tavolaro said.
   Rep. Rush Holt (D-12), who also made a visit to the rescue and recovery operations at the World Trade Center, brought a flag for the squad and praised its members’ efforts.
   "Even if you didn’t carry out any injured people, Princeton, as well as people everywhere, are reminded that we depend on you all the time. We appreciate all your work," Rep. Holt said.
   The squad is ready to proceed with its annual fund raiser, Chief Paulson said. Residents and business owners in Princeton Borough and Princeton Township should receive requests in the mail this weekend, he said.
   Patients are never billed for services, so the squad relies on donations to fund its operations, he pointed out.
For more information on the fund drive, call the squad at (609) 924-3338. Checks payable to the Princeton First Aid & Rescue Squad may be sent to P.O. Box 529, Princeton, NJ 08542-0529.