Ex-CSM fire instructors remember 9/11

Former CSM fire academy instructors Harold Schapelhouman and Frank Fraone responded to the call to duty on Sept. 11, 2001, joining the ranks of the many who flocked to help victims of the attack.

Fire Chief Schapelhouman and Division Chief Fraone, who taught fire science for 20 and 18 years at CSM respectively, both work at the Menlo Park Fire Protection District.

They have both been a part of rescue and recovery efforts at various domestic disasters throughout their careers. Two of the most notable events were the Oklahoma City Federal Building Bombings (1995) and the World Trade Center collapse on 9/11.

"We saw the first plane hit on TV and heard about the second on the radio," said Fraone, who was in the Sierra Foothills combating a wild-fire as the attacks occurred. "I tried to contact my friends in the New York fire department, but I couldn't reach them."

Fraone and Schapelhouman arrived at Ground Zero a few days after 9/11 with Urban Search & Rescue California Taskforce-3, one out of 28 search and rescue task forces nation-wide.

"Having done this multiple times there is always a sense of disbelief," said Schapelhouman about the search and rescue efforts. "But at the same time, there is a sense of coping and pride that we are doing our job."

One of the many duties assigned to the task force was to recover the bodies of people still unaccounted for.

"We're a rescue team by name," said Schapelhouman, "but we also do a lot of recovery."

"You have to distance yourself, emotionally," said Fraone, who has two daughters. "The hardest part was being away from my family, especially since I was in the middle of all the danger."

Time has not healed the leftover effects of working in the debris at Ground Zero.

"I'm still living with 9/11," said Schapelhouman. "It's still really hard to fathom. There was some anger that this was all caused by other human beings."

"The hardest part for me was looking into the eyes of the local responders. You see the anguish, but also the strength," he added.

Since 9/11, both Fraone and Schapelhouman have suffered from some respiratory issues sustained from the rescue efforts at ground zero. Fraone's have proven to be more persistent.

"I had been coughing for eight to nine months," said Fraone. "It's not too bad but I still have some problems."