A visit to the fallen

Deepa Bharath

COSTA MESA -- For Fire Chief Jim Ellis, going back to New York City is

like completing a full circle and getting a sense of closure.

The chief and his 19-year-old son, Kevin, will leave Wednesday for the

city battered by the terrorist attacks less than two months ago. There,

they will hand deliver a check for $7,500 to benefit the families of

fallen firefighters.

The money was raised by city employees and contributions from

community members who bought commemorative T-shirts and bracelets.

“Since Sept. 11, I always had it in my heart that I wanted to go” back

to the East Coast, Ellis said.

The chief, as part of the Costa Mesa Fire Department’s Honor Guard,

represented the city at the annual National Fallen Firefighter Memorial

held in October in Maryland.

“But even that did not satisfy me,” Ellis said.

Just as city employees who had raised the money were thinking about

mailing a check out to New York City, Ellis jumped on the idea.

“I asked them, ‘Why don’t I hand deliver the check?”’ he said. “And

everybody thought it was a great idea.”

Ellis will present the check and a framed commemorative T-shirt to

John Coloe, deputy chief of the New York Fire Department, third in

command.

The community was more than supportive in contributing for the cause,

said Dane Bora, the city’s video production coordinator.

“We sold the first 9/11 limited-edition T-shirts in only two days,” he

said. “People were buying the shirts as we were printing them.”

Bora said he merely helped his part-time colleague Brad Long, who

pioneered the effort.

“We think it’s great that the chief is going in person to hand over

the check,” he said. “It’s a great gesture.”

Bora said they hope to send $2,500 more by the end of the year from

additional T-shirt sales.

The chief and his son, who is preparing to enter the fire academy next

year, will also attend six of the funerals planned for next week for

firefighters who died in the line of duty Sept. 11.

They will also tour some of the fire stations affected by the tragedy.

And if they get an opportunity, they will try to stop by the financial

district where the World Trade Center Twin Towers once stood.

Ellis said there is a lot to be learned from the New York City

firefighters and their experiences.

“I’d like to ask them how they rebound and regroup,” he said. “It’s OK

to talk about strategy and tactics, but how do you face the aftermath of

something so big? How do you muster your troops, carry on, then return to

normalcy and maintain your level of service to the community?”

But above all, Ellis said the purpose of his visit is to comfort and

offer support to fellow firefighters.

“Maybe we’ll take bagels and go into those fire stations and just ask

them, ‘Hey, is there anything we can do to help,”’ he said.

“It is almost therapeutic to be able to talk to someone and share the

lessons you’ve learned.”

-- Deepa Bharath covers public safety and courts. She may be reached

at (949) 574-4226 or by e-mail at o7 deepa.bharath@latimes.comf7 .