I was working for a metallurgy company 19 years and the company closed. Lost my job, was collecting unemployment and trying to find a job again. At same time I was a volunteer fire fighter for Brookview Volunteer Fire Department in East Brunswick, New Jersey.

That early morning of 9/11 I was home and like any normal day my fire pager went off. Thinking there was a fire or some sort of emergency I got in my truck and went to the firehouse to respond to the fire call alarm. Once I arrived at firehouse, 3 other fire fighters were waiting. I listened to radio and could hear radio messages from New York fire fighters. Then it hit me what was going on. We received a phone call about how many fire fighters we had at our station. We had 4 fire fighters. We were then instructed to take a fire truck and go to Middlesex County Fire Academy as a staging area and briefing with FBI and other agencies. There were a lot of first responders there called for briefing. They stated New York was attacked and needed our assistance.

We left, a long line of emergency responders driving on New Jersey Turnpike heading to New York. You could see the smoke from the towers, a very sad feeling. I knew I had a calling to help.

We arrived and were at a staging area around the towers at the fire house waiting for orders to go in and help. There were calls for other help in the city. Most fire fighters in New York went to help at the scene of the towers. There was smoke and papers in air all around us while waiting for orders.

We were then diverted to assist with other fire fighters from Flatbush to Bronx to do their fire calls in Flatbush. I wanted to help with tower rescue, but we have to stick together and obey command orders. We did a couple city building fire calls for 3 days. During that time other fire fighters who came back from the towers arrived at their fire house that we were doing their calls and we tried to listen to them and help them after they came back from towers exhausted and hearing or seeing their fellow fire fighter dead or people from towers dead. We are all one family, brothers doing a cause. I was stationed at Flatbush in Bronx for 3 days with my 3 other fire fighters and extra fire fighters from New York to assist us with calls since we were not familiar with the city. We all worked as one as a team to help New York in need on this sad day.

When I came back to New Jersey I received an award plaque for helping out on 9/11. Also found out my unemployment benefits got canceled because I did not call in the day I was supposed to be looking for work. Had to get a letter from my fire chief to address to unemployment that I was assisting New York in time of need. I later got my unemployment benefits back.

During time spent around towers and around city, I had a bad cough a couple months due to a lot of insulation used to build towers, asbestos and other insulation, which myself and the city were breathing. The cough went away after a few months.

Was glad to help whatever way I could. I have a nice plaque. Also had a piece of burnt paper from towers flying in air, I brought it back but gave it to my fire house as a reminder of 9/11.