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By Miriam Raftery

What can be more heartwarming than a tale of heroes banding together to help victims of two devastating tragedies—East County wildfires and the 9/11 terrorist attacks?

On September 11th, the City of La Mesa held a memorial service honoring rescue workers and victims of the 2001 terrorist attacks.   The event, held at the City’s 9/11 memorial at a fire station on Dallas St., had special significance for some La Mesa firefighters and others in our community.  

In a show of thanks to La Mesa emergency personnel who helped in recovery efforts at the World Trade Center, New York City Firefighters came to East County to help local wildfire victims clean up and rebuild  – including a La Mesa firefighter who lost his home in the Harris fire. 

“We had two people from our fire department who were part of California Task Force 8, the urban search and rescue forces,” La Mesa Fire Chief Dave Burke told East County Magazine.  La Mesa fire captains Scott Springett and Jeff Beeler (now retired) “worked the pile at the World Trade Center aiding in body recoveries alongside their brothers and sisters from around the country,” he recalled.  The heroes of 9/11 not only risked their lives to help in rescue and recovery efforts, but have suffered health problems including respiratory illnesses as a result, he added.

Moved by help provided by emergency personnel from around the nation, New York City firefighters formed a nonprofit organization called New York Says Thank You.  “They wanted to be able to give back for all the care and support that they received,” Chief Burke said.  “So after the [2003]Cedar Fire, they came out on their own time to help people here rebuild.”

Then the 2007 Harris fire struck, destroying or damaging thousands more homes in our region.  “Dan Lachenbruch, one of our men, lost his home in Rancho Bernardo while he was out fighting the Harris Fire,” Burke recalled.  So the New York firefighters journeyed cross country again to help Lachenbruch and other wildfire victims.  “They cleared his slab of debris and we had a big barbecue,” Burke said.  “He was very touched, and they wanted to give back.”

Speakers at this year’s “La Mesa Remembers” service included former Congressman Wadi Deddeh and La Mesa Councilman David Allan, a firefighting professional who proposed the City’s 9-11 monument, which was paid for with private donations.   The ceremony also included a non-denominational prayer led by a local pastor and a pair of bagpipers who performed “Amazing Grace” to close the service. 

Miriam Raftery, editor of East County Magazine,  is a 25-year journalist who has won national and local awards for her investigative reporting and community journalism.  If you are indicated in syndicating or reprinting this column, please contact editor@eastcountymagazine.org.