We tried to find the fire stations. We went to the GPS coordinates and there was nothing there, just concrete slabs.

should remind people of the role the fire service plays. They are the first responders when something happens. We lost 343 firefighters that day. Annually, we generally lose over 100 per year in the line of duty.

In New Orleans, 70 percent of their stations were flooded and many will never be useable again.

At that point we stood back and coached those people.

The things that happened that day are significant for our country, ... It's like Pearl Harbor Day. It should be a reminder to us all about what a great country we live in.

For me to arrive one week later and find that no one had even contacted or spoken to the region's fire departments to assess their status and restore service is hard to grasp.