By 11:30 a.m. on Sept. 11, 2001, roughly one hour after the North Tower of the World Trade Center collapsed in that morning’s second slow-motion cascade of dust and debris, Ottawa firefighter Barry Blondin was already heading for the nearest border crossing.
Bundled in the trunk was Blondin’s bunker gear, the protective clothing firefighters wear when responding to emergencies — the same gear hundreds of New York City firefighters were wearing when they rushed into the Twin Towers after the terror attacks.
“You’re watching the news and you’re hearing all the reports [that] a lot of firemen are down, buildings are down. You know there’s people [in] there,” recalled Blondin, who is now 62. “They needed a lot of help, so I thought I could do something.”
Blondin — who retired two years ago after a 27-year career with Ottawa Fire Services — didn’t stop to ask permission. He just went.
