9/11 takes another,...Goodbye My Friend

* A.J. Heightman, MPA, EMT-P, Editor-in-Chief, JEMS When Lisa Dionne and I travelled to New York soon after 9/11, we weren't sure who we would meet and what first-hand accounts we would be able to obtain. By a strange turn of events, we ended up in the garage at Division 4 early one morning, amid a host of early responders to the twin towers on that awful day in September of 2001. As we sat around a picnic table and EMTs and paramedics began to tell us about their involvement at the World Trade Center, one person stood out, not just because of his unique personality and rapid-fire speech, but because of his clear concern for what he continually referred to as "his guys". It was Lt. Rene Davila. Rene was one of the first EMS managers to arrive on scene at World Trade 1 and attempting to bring order out of chaos. His strong personality, his distinct voice -- and his passion for his personnel and his mission allowed Rene to grab hold of the monster that loomed over and around them that tragic day, assigning his troops like a field general in the heat of battle. Declaring a "Condition 4" and updating Citywide communications, requesting multiple MERVs and assigning personnel to staging, triage and transportation, and asking Eric Ramos to stay with him in case he lost his voice, Rene had firm grasp on his small potion of the massive incident. Then, suddenly, without warning, Rene spotted a large airliner out of his peripheral vision. Just as suddenly, Rene watched the plane disappeared inside World Trade 2. The fireball and bodies that flew out the other side, along with the carnage he witnessed later as the twin towers literally disintegrated on and around Rene and his comrades, would change Rene forever. Rene was never the same after Sept. 11, 2001. His wild personality grew wilder, and his mood swings began to twist and turn like a kite caught in a hurricane. As Rene's physical and emotional health deteriorated, his friends and colleagues did as much as they could to help him conquer the demons of 9/11. But in the end, the collapse of the towers and the horrible sights and sounds of that day defeated Rene and contributed greatly to his death. In the end, it was his colleagues who found him in his final repose, at peace at last. Sleep well Lt. Davila. Our friendship was short but the memories you left me will live forever. I love you and will miss you. * * A.J. Heightman Editor-in-chief of JEMS A.J. Heightman is a former EMS director and EMS operations director who has researched and specialized in MCI management training for 30 years. Contact him via e-mail at a.j.heightman@elsevier.com.

I found this on the JEMS website.