TRR photo by Tom Kane Pennies from heaven – for WTC (Click for full story)

A chief’s toughest choice

By SARAH KOENIG

SHOHOLA — As a firefighter, Don Wall is used to taking risks, and as a fire chief, he’s used to making tough decisions.

But on the morning of Tuesday, September 11, he was faced with one of the most difficult choices of his personal and professional life.

“We got the call from the Communications ‘Comm’ Center asking if we could spare a truck and men to come down to the city and help at the World Trade Center, and to have it ready if we were called.” Wall said. “We knew that whatever we would be doing there, it wouldn’t be pretty. But doing nothing is much, much worse. Watching TV and not being able to help them is awful.”

Equally awful, according to Wall, was deciding who should go to the city if the call came, particularly since on Tuesday morning, no one knew how far the terrorist attacks would go.

“I had to make sure that the men who went were capable,” he says, “and that the men who stayed back would be able to take care of the township in case there was an emergency at home.”