Gerald "Jerry" Sanford: Retired FDNY Firefighter, Author of It Started With a Helmet, 9/11 Press Secretary

<div>A black leather helmet.</div> <div>Not just any helmet.</div> <div>A circa 1914 FDNY helmet found in Naples, Florida, originating from Ladder 42 in The Bronx, New York.<br> <br> </div> <div>In this week’s episode, Jerry Stanford, FDNY veteran, details his adventure in returning that incredible helmet – and presenting it back to Ladder 42 in The Bronx on September 10, 2001 - the day <em>before</em> the attacks of 9/11.<br> <br> </div> <div>Jerry returned to service as a volunteer after the attacks on the World Trade center and authored the book: <em>It Started with a Helmet</em>.<br> <br> </div> <div>You’ll appreciate Jerry’s compelling story, and his straightforward personality as he details the path of the helmet from Naples to The Bronx.</div> <br> <div><strong>In this episode you will hear:</strong></div> <br> <div>• We flew out from La Guardia Airport 2 hours before the attacks. I could’ve been on one of those hijacked planes.</div> <br> <div>• Everyone’s running out of the buildings while we were running into the building.</div> <br> <div>• We lost 343 Firefighters from all ranks. With all those years of experience gone, it was difficult to fill those voids.</div> <br> <div>• After 10-12 days, it changed from a rescue mission to a recovery mission.</div> <br> <div>• The jet fuel kept the fires burning.</div> <br> <div>• On September 12, 2001, we were all New Yorkers.</div> <br> <div>• You couldn’t buy a flag.</div> <br> <div>• The government officials told us that it was fine to be in the area with no masks or breathing gear. 6 years later, I was diagnosed with lung cancer, as were many others.</div> <br> <div>• Back then, I could go to the World Trade Center site, and any hour of the day or night. People were cheering us on.</div> <br> <div>• Now they want to cut back funding for police, while they have private security. That’s crazy.</div> <br> <div>• Life is so different now. We have to adapt to it.</div> <div>• We were taken aback at the difference in two or three years in New York City.</div> <b