The beeping still haunts them. Personal alarms that firefighters wear sounded from the rubble as 343 New York City firefighters died on Sept. 11, 2001. Amid the smoldering ruins, the living searched while the sirens of their dead colleagues continued to call out.
First responders face disaster regularly, and their loyalty to each other drives them to work tirelessly to rescue those in trouble. But when rescue fails, they are never at peace with leaving anyone behind. Recently, DNA results identified the remains of firefighter Michael Haub, nearly two decades after he ran toward danger on 9/11. Such discoveries are bittersweet, a relief to the families and a sad reminder of the lost who might never be found.
Rarely do we stop to consider the traumatic impact on the human spirit of such high-stakes work.