The Making Of A Homeland Security Warrior

When I joined the New York City Fire Department it was in response to a desire to help people and bring greater meaning to my life. I worked hard in college and was rewarded with a wonderful degree in civil engineering and a promising career in front of me. At that pivotal moment in life, I was faced with a choice when I was offered a position as a firefighter. I examined my life and what I wanted out of it, and I chose the path of a civil servant.

While it was not an easy decision, I was clear in my desire to make a difference in the lives of others. I understood that helping people in their hour of need was more valuable to me than monetary rewards. I worked hard to perfect my craft and was enjoying the positive difference I was making in my community. As a young firefighter, I was focused on mastering the skills necessary to put out fires, mitigate car accidents, and the myriad of other day-to-day events that we participate in to help people.

Then everything changed when the United States was attacked on 9/11. Planes were flown into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and taken down by the passengers of Flight 93 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. As I stood in front of a 30ft. pile of debris, I realized that things would never be the same again. Suddenly I was faced with the reality that while I was concentrating on keeping the citizens of New York City safe, there was a bigger battle being waged around me; a battle that I was now inexorably a part of. As I dug through the rubble of the World Trade Center and attended the memorials of my friends and colleagues over the next year, I began to wonder who was Al Qaeda and why did they hate us so?

Seeking the answers to those questions altered the course of my career.

My desire to understand the complex nature of terrorism first led me to the literature written on the subject. This was followed closely by various symposiums and lectures on topics such as the mind of a suicide bomber and the logistics of managing a large-scale terrorist attack. I also began to study for promotion as the upper ranks offered more opportunities to explore the new threats I was facing. No longer was I satisfied with mastering the skills of fighting fires, now I needed to broaden my threat horizon.

Being an officer enabled me to attend various programs related to improving homeland security. Those programs included a Counterterrorism Leadership program through West Point and currently a Homeland Security Masters degree through the Naval Postgraduate School. Through these programs, I started to gain the skills necessary to understand the threats to the homeland more comprehensively. These skills represent the weapons that I am starting to wield as I rise to meet this new homeland security challenge.

At this same time the NYC Fire Department was also expanding their threat horizon. Realizing that there was a paradigm shift in progress, the Department created a new section designed to address the larger threat of terrorism. The Center for Terrorism and Disaster Preparedness was established with a focus on understanding and preparing for the asymmetric threats that the Department would face in the future. As this new section of the Fire Department came into creation I focused on becoming a part of it.

My journey that began so long ago now moves to the next chapter as I become more engaged in the Center for Disaster and Terrorism Preparedness. I now possess the weapons needed to lead the Fire Department forward in the ongoing struggle. It is with hope in my heart that I continue to strive against this continual threat.