25 years after 9/11, Pennsylvania and New Jersey firefighters reflect on lessons from Ground Zero

Twenty-five years after the 9/11 attacks, the firefighters who responded to Ground Zero still carry the memories of what they saw and experienced there.

Among them was Philadelphia Fire Capt. John O'Neill, one of 80 members of Pennsylvania Task Force One who traveled to New York City after the attacks. His team spent nine days at Ground Zero searching through the rubble for survivors.

"Some of the memories are still very vivid," O'Neill said. "Everything had collapsed and compacted down pretty well."

The search was grueling for both firefighters and the search dogs at the World Trade Center site.

"We found the dogs were depressed," O'Neill said. "Because they were live-find dogs and they weren't finding anybody."

To keep the dogs motivated, firefighters pretended to be survivors trapped in the rubble so the dogs could locate them.

O'Neill said he lost two coworkers to 9/11-related illnesses, including rare cancers.

"The focus needs to be on the people who are getting treatment," O'Neill said. "I have minor issues compared to them."

O'Neill said his experiences at Ground Zero shaped how he approaches his work today. He now mentors younger firefighters, including some who were not yet born when the attacks happened.

"I have a much better picture of how to handle situations," he said. "It gave me a good sense of how to work with people, especially if you're not from the same department."

The experience also influenced his son Sean, who followed in his footsteps.

"My youngest son is now a Philadelphia firefighter, who was in school on 9/11 and asking questions like, 'Why do I have to go?' O'Neill said. "Now he has stepped up."

O'Neill said the Philadelphia Fire Department changed significantly after 9/11. The department now has 16 technical rescue personnel on duty at all times, twice as many as before the attacks.

The events of 9/11 also had a profound impact on Gerard Moroney, a functional group leader and logistics specialist for New Jersey Task Force One.

"It was a change in myself as a person and as a firefighter," Moroney said. "It got me to see a bigger picture on incidents that we've gone to on a day-to-day basis aren't as bad as they could be. We've now been to the worst."

Moroney said the experience shaped his communication and leadership skills.

"It gave me a little more understanding and empathy," Moroney said. "A lot of people were affected mentally from it, so you have to look at things in a different lens now and look out for your people's well-being more."

After nearly three decades in the fire service, O'Neill is planning to retire on Sept. 10, 2029. He intentionally chose the date because of what 9/11 means to him.

"That day changed me and my progression through the fire department," O'Neill said. "And I want 9/11 to start my next chapter in life."

For O'Neill, one of the most lasting lessons from 9/11 is the power of people coming together.

"We have not been as united as we were then," he said. "It's a shame because we have strength when we're all united."

O'Neill hopes that sense of unity can return as he passes the torch to the next generation of firefighters.