Local First Responder Remembers
By: Tina Shively
Updated: September 12, 2012
On this somber day we reflect on a tragedy that changed America forever eleven years ago.
Those who survived the 9/11 terror attacks still have vivid memories.
For Andy Stromfeld, memories of Ground Zero are clear as that September day.
He said "I think all of us are gonna suffer through that for the rest of our lives. The fact those people are gone, and to me that's what a day like today is about."
Today, Andy is acting chief of the Fishers Fire Department.
On September 11, 2001 he was a member of the NYPD's Emergency Services Unit.
When the first plane hit, teams reacted to what they thought was an accident.
"And then the second plane hit. That changed the atmosphere of the entire thing...
Nobody expected the towers to come down...So there was a lot of running for your life that morning."
Andy was in Tower One climbing the stairs to rescue people when Tower Two collapsed.
He woke up outside covered in debris. Somehow he'd survived.
Thousands of others weren't so lucky, including 14 members of his unit.
Andy eventually returned to his day-to-day duties but spent nearly all his time off at Ground Zero, until the last beam was lifted from the site.
Last year, Andy was given this steel beam from Ground Zero for a memorial at his firehouse.
He said "It's great that you can walk right up to this and touch this. It's a piece of steel that was involved in this, it's a piece of history."
Andy hopes it reminds us, and his brothers in Fishers, that hundreds of officers and firefighters died that day helping strangers.
"Some of these guys we lost trained me and because of them I'm standing here. And maybe one day when I'm not around anymore people will say 'I'm still here because of something that Andy said.'"
Andy Stromfeld hopes his story motivates others to volunteer.
He says without the men and women who ran towards the twin towers that morning eleven years ago, there's no doubt the loss of life would've been much greater.
