Easlier this week, New York firefighters, and family members who lost loved ones on September 11th traveled to New Hampshire.
The group, 9/11 Firefighters and Families came armed with one message: former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani isn’t fit to be president.
New Hampshire Public Radio’s Dan Gorenstein has this report.
On Monday, the New York Post came out with a front page story on Rudy Giuliani.
The headline read ‘I am Mr. 9/11.’
Its that kind of story that inspired 9/11 Firefighters and Families to leave the confines of New York City for New Hampshire.
For the past six years Sally Regenhard has spoken out against Rudy Giuliani for how he handled the attacks.
The group believes if Giuliani had provided better leadership that morning, some 120 firefighters- including Regenhard’s son- would be alive today.
4:44 we want you to know that the failures of the G. administration to protect the first responders and the citizens of NY sealed the fate of my son...and the rest of the first responders and the citizens.
Regenhard and four other group members held a town hall style meeting at Dartmouth College.
About 30 people- many local firefighters- showed up to hear this group of 9/11 families that come from across the political spectrum make their case against Giuliani.
Much of the group’s criticism centers on the ineffective radios firefighters had with them.
They say police had ones that allowed them to hear the evacuation orders to leave the towers.
The firefighters weren’t as lucky.
New York Fire Department Deputy Chief Jim Riches can spend hours detailing the minutia of how Giuliani or his people fell short.
Riches also lost his son who was a firefighter.
But he says what angers him most is that the Giuliani Administration ignored a report from Fire Chief Anthony Fusco after the World Trade Tower attack in 1993.
1:03 it recommends that the radios need to be upgraded. High rise evacuation should be self-evacuation...better cooperation and inter-agency drills... and he had all the recommendations listed down.
13:52 Chief Fusco worked with me when I was fire commissioner and I don’t remember seeing any of those recommendations.
Howard Sefir served as Giuliani’s Fire Commissioner from 1994-1996.
Sefir is Chairman of First Responders for Rudy.
14:08...I recall no such recommendations. He may have made recommendations under Dinkins Administration. But I was unaware of them.
According to 9/11 Families, Chief Fusco did submit his report to Mayor David Dinkins.
But Jim Richies finds it laughable that Giuliani wouldn’t be interested in the previous administration’s advice.
:17 for him to say he hadn’t seen it just goes to show his further, he’s incompetent, they should have saw the reports of what happened in ’93 and correct the mistakes....that just shows a lack of leadership of G.
9/11 Families see, before, during and after the attack, Giuliani demonstrated that he didn’t care much for firefighter’s welfare.
One member says it took the city two months to widely distribute proper respirators to work crews at Ground Zero.
The Giuliani campaign issued an 8 page ‘research briefing’ defending Giuliani, his decisions, and his care for New York City firefighters.
Former Fire Commissioner Howard Sefir disputes most of the group’s claims.
He says firefighters had state-of-the-art radios on September 11th.
He says many of them heard the same calls policemen did to evacuate the buildings.
He says firefighters chose to not wear respirators.
Sefir believes the whole campaign is being driven by the International Association of Fire Fighters, a union that has endorsed Connecticut Senator Chris Dodd for president.
He thinks the families are being taken advantage of.
17:23 tragedy causes people to react in different ways. It’s very sad. And it’s sad they are being used for political purposes.
17:48 I feel horrible for any family that has lost a police or fireman. I have given too many eulogies during my time as both Police and Fire Commissioner. Like I said, people grieve different ways. I just think this is the wrong way to do it.
14:45 we are not talking on an emotional level....they are not emotional vendettas of losing my son.
That’s 9/11 member Maureen Santora.
...I am not out here for that. I am truly anxious, worried that this person might be considered a serious candidate for president. I think it would destroy our nation.
The group is expected to decide next week whether to form a 527 political group, continue barnstorming in early primary and caucus states or drop the campaign and go home to New York.
For NHPR News, I’m Dan Gorenstein.
