Firefighters gather nearly $64,000 for fund

MAT-SU -- The generosity of the human spirit is hard to measure, but members of the Mat-Su Fire Chiefs Association were amazed when Mat-Su residents donated nearly $64,000 to the association to help the families of firefighters, medics and police officers who died in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, D.C.

"The response from the public has just been unbelievable," said Johnny Murdock, secretary and treasurer of the association. "They gave us money, they gave us hugs, they shook our hands, there were times when there were some tears shed."

Murdock, in a press conference Monday at the Cottonwood Creek Public Safety Building, said his crew of volunteer firefighters and medics logged approximately 1,200 hours and brought in more than $63,500 that will go to one of two funds set up to benefit the families of those who died in the line of duty more than one month ago.

The money will be divided between the New York Fire Fighters 9-11 Disaster Relief Fund and the World Trade Center Police Disaster Fund, Murdock said, according to the number of deaths incurred. As of Friday, Murdock explained, 346 firefighters and medics died in the event and 97 police officers were killed. As a result, nearly 80 percent of the funds will go to the 9-11 fund and just over 20 percent will go to the police fund.

Volunteers hit the streets over the past few weeks, asking motorists and shoppers at Valley Carrs-Safeway stores, Wal-Mart and Fred Meyer to contribute money in a Fill-the-Helmet campaign, bringing in a total of approximately $54,200. Approximately another $9,300 was brought in from sales of commemorative pins, donations to an account set up for the event at Matanuska Valley Federal Credit Union and money collected by several groups around the Valley.

Getting local firefighters and medics involved in the collection effort seems to have been therapeutic after what, to those in the practice of saving lives, has been a shocking ordeal.

"This was like a body blow to everyone in the business," Murdock said.

He explained that the collapse of the World Trade Center resulted in the greatest loss of life among firefighters, medics and police officers in the history of the U.S. Previously, the highest number of firefighter fatalities in a single event came from the so-called "Texas City Disaster," in which 27 firefighters were killed when a ship containing ammonia exploded.

When compared to the number of lives the emergency responders saved, Murdock said, it softens the blow a bit.

"I'm very proud of what they did," Murdock said. "They didn't sell their lives cheap."

Murdock said he will be sending the money off via cashier's check to the Alaska Incident Management team, currently volunteering their time and energy in New York.

"There are many of us that would like, for various reasons, to go to New York," Murdock said. "At the same time, our judgment is, there are plenty of people going to New York . . . while we'd like to go, it seems there is no real need to go."