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Rogers Firefighters helped in 9/11 aftermath

22 years ago, five Rogers firefighters made the decision to travel to New York to help with rescue and recovery following the September 11th attacks.

ROGERS, Ark — 22 years ago, firefighters from around the nation came together to help with rescue and recovery after the September 11, 2001 attacks, including a group from Rogers.

Rogers Fire Chief Tom Jenkins was working as a firefighter in Oklahoma on that day, but he says he remembers how those events impacted firefighters across the nation.

“The things that happened 22 years ago may seem historical to some, it may be interesting to others. For firefighters, we're reminded of what we have to do every day, and the lessons learned from that day. That's not lost on us.” Chief Jenkins said.

It was instinctive for firefighters around the country to want to step in to help with rescue and recovery, Chief Jenkins recalls. He says firefighters could see the gravity of the situation and knew all the work that would have to be done.

“When bad things happen, firefighters care very little about what the patch or the uniform or the color scheme on the truck might be,” Chief Jenkins said.

That’s why, 22 years ago, five Rogers firefighters made the decision to travel to New York to help.

“All of them have had fantastic tenures. Two of the five have passed away, unfortunately, and one has retired,” Chief Jenkins said.

One of the two firefighters still with the department is Captain Jeff Parks.

At the time of the attacks, he had only been working in Rogers for a little over a year.

“It was basically just a group of five guys. We chose to go up there on our own dime,” Capt. Parks said.

“… We were hanging out actually at Station 5, hanging out with the on-duty crew whenever the first plane struck the tower. After that, my parents owned a lumberyard in Gentry, and as I got there, that's when the second collapse actually started happening,” Capt. Parks said.

Capt. Parks says the Rogers crew then headed to New York and provided assistance for three days.

“We went to five or six funerals and went to Ground Zero,” Parks said.

Credit: KFSM

Chief Jenkins says the efforts from the firefighters in Rogers were a testament to nationwide solidarity in their field.

“The decision for the firefighters that came from Rogers back then, was likely the same as I saw done elsewhere,” Chief Jenkins said. “You couldn't tell them no. It was almost something that was so instinctive, so natural, that there was going to be no hurdle or barricade that was going to get in the way. They wanted to see it for themselves and offer the kind of service that really only people who are in the business can offer.”

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