Lessons from Irish firefighters

Jeff Boyles

Everyone has a story. The morning of Sept. 11, 2001, undoubtedly left

anyone who was old enough to comprehend the unfurling attacks on our

country with a personal account of that morning they will most likely

never forget.

It is now obvious that not just thousands, but millions of people

were affected by the aftermath. And with exception of the families

who lost their immediate loved ones, I would argue that the family of

firefighters, worldwide, has grieved and endured perhaps that

greatest emotional setback throughout our proud history. On that one

inauspicious day, 343 firefighters were killed in the line of duty.

Firefighters from around the world have rallied to show their support

for the Fire Department of the City of New York.

In October 2002, the FDNY held its annual memorial service to

honor more than 350 who had died in 2001. Having marched in the

service and attended private memorial services in firehouses, I

witnessed a collective attempt from the men of FDNY to move on

emotionally. This was recognized by various groups, most notably a

man named Jim O’Donnell, who runs the Industrial Emergency Council in

California.

Jim and Deirdre O’Neal, who own a travel marketing company in

Newport Beach, organized the first U.S. Firefighter’s Ball hosted by

the Dublin Fire Brigade in Dublin, Ireland. This event was the main

draw, in which more than 110 firefighters and spouses from California

and New York shared their stories and moved closer to what the Irish

call am do slanaim, or “a time for healing.” My father, Gary, a fire

chief in the Bay Area with 31 years of fire service, agreed that our

whole family should participate in this unique fire service/family

journey to Ireland. My mother, Jolene, wife, Aimee, and 7-month-old

son, Braeden, all shared in the experience.

Our California group flew into New York and met with the New York

firefighters who would be joining us on to Ireland. But we didn’t

leave New York without first marching in the ever famous St.

Patrick’s Day Parade.

We were met in Ireland by the Dublin Firefighters Pipes and Drums

band during an after-hours private tour of the world renowned

Guinness Storehouse. We call them breweries here. We were welcomed by

the mayors of Dublin, Waterford and Killarney.

From trips to the Cliffs of Mohr, the Blarney Castle, the Ring of

Kerry and many little towns, the Irish hospitality was phenomenal for

lack of better words. You will hear the saying cead mile failte in

nearly every town and pub in Ireland. Literally translated, it means

“one hundred thousand welcomes.”

One can’t, or shouldn’t, anyway, visit the country of Ireland

without frequenting some of their many pubs. These pubs are the very

fiber woven into Ireland’s social culture. We passed through a town

with a population of 10,000. It had 52 thriving pubs! By my math,

that is one pub for every 192 people.

One night, while socializing in a local pub in Killarney, the

owner closed his doors for the night. Only instead of closing us out,

he actually locked the doors, and us, in! He insisted that the United

States firefighters stay and share their stories with him until 4

a.m.

Now, in America, locking your patrons into an establishment is in

violation of many punishable laws. In this town of Killarney, it was

simply a way of expressing genuine hospitality.

The owner of the pub, nearing 80 years of age by my estimation,

pulled me into a corner of his beloved tavern and pointed to a framed

picture of the World Trade Center towers standing tall. He bowed his

head, pressed his palm against the glass and started to cry. He

looked up to me, with redness around his aged and dark eyes, and told

me that his nephew had died in the towers that day.

His gestures taught me that indeed am do slanaim is still needed

across the world. But more importantly, that everyone has a story.

* JEFF BOYLES is a firefighter/paramedic with the Newport Beach

Fire Department. He also serves as the Newport Beach Firefighters’

Assn. vice president. Jeff, Aimee and Braeden live in Newport Beach.