Barrie Fire Chief Kevin White and Platoon Chief Kent Johnston were two of about three dozen Barrie firefighters who visited Ground Zero weeks after the 9/11 attacks. That was 25 years ago and the then-young firefighters say it’s a day that changed everything. “I remember the day that it happened,” White tells CTV News. “I was transfixed on the television and immediately we started to call each other and set up crews to see who could go and assist. In all, 36 Barrie firefighters and 18 police officers went to New York to support the families and attend funerals - anything to help out during a time that won’t soon be forgotten. “I definitely felt it was a bit of an honour to be offered that opportunity,” says Johnston. In 2001, Johnston was new to the job and remembers the moments he first saw the destruction. “It’s hard to comprehend the devastation that did take place that day, even 25 years later. It’s overwhelming and still it’s hard to believe that this was an event that took place in New York City,” says Johnston. “It was very, very sad to see it all happening,” says White. “To know that those huge structures stood there and were now gone.” Insp. Peter Dewsnap with Barrie police also went to New York weeks after the attack to assist - a different time and an experience the veteran officer says will stay with him for ever. “What struck me was there were still active fires burning and water was still being put on the rubble,” says Dewsnap. “There was still parts of the original structure of the towers that were standing there.” The American flag will be lowered outside the Barrie firehall on Friday, the day that officially marks 25 years since 9/11.
