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Official statement on the 9/11 terrorist attacks from the International Foundation for Protection Officers (IFPO):

“The anniversary of the appalling terror attacks of September eleventh 2001 have been brought into even greater prominence this year, both because it is the twentieth anniversary and because of recent events Afghanistan.  As security professionals we are well aware of the continually evolving nature of terrorism, but these anniversaries serve to keep this at the forefront of what we do.

Whilst we remember the terrible loss of life (almost 3,000) that the four plane crashes caused in New York City, Washington DC and Pennsylvania, I feel that we, as members of a global security association, should also take a moment to remember the other security professionals, first responders and military personnel who lost their lives in the attacks.  It is often the case that those on the frontline suffer greatly whilst protecting others.  It is also worth noting that whilst the US suffered the greatest loss, by far, citizens of 90 countries were killed.

  • 344 firefighters and 71 law enforcement officers died in the World Trade Center and on the ground;
  • 1 law enforcement officer died Pennsylvania;
  • 55 military personnel who died at the Pentagon and
  • 300 security officers (according to Private Officer Magazine)

Our thoughts are with their families and friends.”

 

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From IFPO board member Mike Fagel:

We must thoughtfully remember those that perished, and those that helped save lives .

I was deployed to ground zero for 100 days.

I was a member of a multifaceted team that did everything and anything on site.

One of my missions was health and safety on site.

We did our best, but many succumbed.

People are dying every day from WTC illness.

I also have several WTC illnesses

Rick Rescola saved thousands of lives at world trade as head of safety and security at a firm in the towers

Let's be mindful of all the sacrifices

 

 

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From IFPO board member emeritus Chris Hertig:

9/11: Remembering The Fallen

I got a call from a PR guy I knew who told me about a plane crashing into the World Trade Center. As I turned on the TV, a second plane hit it. Obviously not an accident.

Until that time America had largely been spared the mass carnage that Europe experienced for decades.

For the most part America had not experienced within its borders’ planes blown out of the sky, the kidnapping of Olympic athletes or other spectacular acts of terror.

There were, however, indications of plots to blow up airliners in the mid-90’s. A book I have that I will be reading for the rest of my life mentions a similar plot dating back to the 1970’s! The FBI had reports of Middle Eastern men taking flying lessons but having no interest whatsoever in learning how to land the plane. We had the indication that eventually a suicide attack using the self-contained explosive power of a jetliner would occur.

A strong argument can also be made about the effect of denial, a necessary psychological defense mechanism. We can’t fully grasp, let alone act upon, threats which have not occurred before.

Almost 3,000 people were killed on 9/11, both innocent bystanders and our protectors. 344 firefighters and 71 law enforcement officers died in the World Trade Center and on the ground; 1 law enforcement officer died in Pennsylvania; 55 military personnel died at the Pentagon and 287 security officers at the World Trade Center.

Joseph Trombino was a Brinks security officer killed on that day. His story is interesting because he had been seriously wounded twenty years earlier during a famous robbery that was committed by terrorists.

Remembering September 11, 2001: Francis Joseph Trombino Obituary

 

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"On the morning of 9/11 I was working as a Security Shift Leader on the evening shift at a manufacturing complex near Baltimore, MD that made various medical supplies and products. Accordingly, I was asleep when the aircraft hit the Twin Towers. I was woken up by one of the day shift officers who said when I answered the phone, "Turn on your television, and then get in here." So I watched the news coverage. When I turned on the TV, I saw the actual footage of the first aircraft hitting the Towers and thought, "What a horrible accident." - having visited the World Trade Center several times as a child and knowing there were three busy airports nearby (JFK, La Guardia, Newark). I continued to watch and they showed the second aircraft strike the Towers and thought "This. Is. Deliberate." When I reached my workplace, most of the staff were wondering if our facility might be attacked. We were trying to provide 50 officers' worth of security with the three or four people we normally had available on a given shift. As a result, the company brought in contract security officers to supplement our proprietary security staff and eventually increased the budget for security measures and the salaries of the security staff significantly as we grappled with the nature of this new threat."

-Brion
Brion P. Gilbride, CPP, CSSM, CPO

IFPO Team Supports the 2021 Brotherhood Ride - Cycling For Fallen Heroes

Bright and early on their day off, two staff members from the IFPO Naples office met at a local park, alongside the Naples Elks Club members, to honor, donate and support the 40 bicycle riders of the Brotherhood Ride. These riders, along with their support team, will average 70–100 miles a day, from Naples, FL to New York City, to honor the 26 Florida Fallen Heroes who died in the line of duty in 2020 while protecting their communities. Their arrival will coincide with the 20th Anniversary of 9/11 in New York City.

The Brotherhood Ride is a non-profit charity organization who ride bicycles to honor emergency first responders who have died in the line of duty. Other than the cost of conducting the rides, all donated proceeds go directly to the beneficiaries designated.

As we come up on the 20th Anniversary of 9/11 here in the United States, our thoughts are more focused on not only world safety, but community safety. Unfortunately, for many of our IFPO partners around the world, events like 9/11 are not unfamiliar to their cities, homes, families. However, it is through events like this, we realize our neighbors in other cities or countries are no different than us – we are all the same – we all want to live in peace, work with purpose, provide for our families, and thrive in our communities.

Twenty years later, twenty years older, our eyes are wide open to all the dangers out in the world, but also, our eyes are wide open to how we can be the first line of protection within our communities. We have learned so much, and continue to grow and expand our knowledge, resources, partners, and overall efforts in providing the best available platform for our protections officers to learn, grow, be supported and encouraged, and ultimately help prepare our communities around us as safer world for all of us to thrive in.