Sept. 11 affirms calling for local first responders

Maui fire, police officials say it showed them what it meant to make the ultimate sacrifice

KAHULUI -- Reflecting on two decades in their careers, Maui fire and police leaders this week said 9/11 was a motivator -- not a deterrent -- to become first responders.

As young Maui Fire Department hopefuls, Brad Ventura and Rylan Yatsushiro were just beginning to learn about what it meant to be a firefighter in 2001.

The Baldwin High School classmates were fresh out of college and early into jobs on Maui. They had fledgling families and were preparing as best they could to vie for a highly competitive spot in the Maui Fire Department. After passing the written exam, applicants were slated for a physical test the second week of September.

Then, Sept. 11 hit. It impacted everything -- including expectations of what it would mean to continue the course of becoming a first responder.

"We started learning more about what firefighters did in making the ultimate sacrifice for others," Yatsushiro said. "The pursuit of this profession -- it now held an even larger and bigger responsibility."

Ventura said it was a turning point.

"It made everybody understand what might be asked of them at one time in their career," he said.

Maui Police Detective Matthew Brown said the 9/11 attacks and the "great loss of heroes" who responded drove his reason to become a police officer and join the military as a reservist.

"Most everyone in America enjoys freedom -- but only a select few stand up to defend it," he said.

On Thursday, while Maui firefighters prepared outside the Kahului station for a 9/11 commemorative event scheduled today, Yatsushiro and Ventura talked about where they were the day the news broke. On Friday, Brown recalled via email where he was when he learned about the tragedy.

Yatsushiro said he remembers being up early, getting ready for work at Maui Sporting Goods, when he heard the news about 9/11. He was in shock, and it took time before he understood what was going on. Airlines closed and Hawaii people, as they do in times of stress, ran to the store to buy water and stock up on other essentials.

Ventura said he doesn't remember if it was a day off or a day of work at the hotel. He got up, turned on the TV and couldn't walk away from the screen. The "shock and awe" of what happened, along with questions about how it could be prevented in the future, are memories that come to mind, he said.

Brown said he was living in Japan and teaching English. He remembers a call from his parents to turn on the news. As he watched the "horrific, cowardly attacks" unfold on live TV, he recalls being upset and deeply saddened by all the first responders who went into the burning buildings, knowing there was a good chance they wouldn't make it out alive.

Nearly 3,000 people were killed at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. Of those, 343 were New York City firefighters, 23 were New York City police officers and 37 were officers at the Port Authority.

Ventura said when New York City first responders were arriving on scene that day, they didn't know the scope of the call. That courage and commitment stuck with him.

"Once they saw the breadth of the incident and how big it was, many of them knew this could be their last call," he said. "They were going in trying to do something that might not be doable. And they still did it. That was the lasting impression that was left with me. And this was prior to me becoming a firefighter."

Twenty years later, Ventura, now acting fire chief, and Yatsushiro, now fire services chief, reflected on their time in the department and how the historic event helped shape them. The two were part of the 20th recruit class -- the first MFD recruit class after 9/11 -- and they were officially hired in the department in January 2002.

"So if you’re a new firefighter, it's best for you to look into the history ... to understand why people feel the way they feel about firefighters and fire service in today's world," Ventura said. "It's not what we did last week. It's not at all what this department alone has done. It's what thousands of firefighters across the world have done for a century."

Mark Paranada, who retired as a captain in 2007 after 32 years in the Maui Fire Department and who led young recruits Yatsushiro and Ventura, encouraged first responders to get a broader scope of the world. He was chosen by the governor to represent Hawaii at a five-year anniversary of 9/11 in New York City.

"The history you get from surrounding yourself with people that have been there is totally different -- they live and they breathe what went on in New York City," he said. "That's what we won't be able to get here -- they can read about it, they can hear the eulogies, they can see the documentaries, but it's not the same as being there."

Brown said 20 years later he is still very proud to wear both uniforms.

"Regardless of recent narratives on social media, police officers, as well as all first responders, do the job to make the world a better, safer place," he said. "First responders stand as a symbol of courage, self-sacrifice and freedom."

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God," he added.

Jerry Wright, a Hana-stationed American Medical Response paramedic with more than 30 years of experience, said he hopes that the feelings of patriotism, community and concern for one another -- that spread across the nation in the wake of 9/11 -- could be applied today during a pandemic where many people are divided.

"9/11 is an opportunity to go OK, here's an earth-changing event and this is how we responded," he said. "We are in an earth-changing event today and there are lessons to be learned from it."

* Kehaulani Cerizo can be reached at kcerizo@mauinews.com.