PRINCE GEORGE
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Citizen
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Serving the Central Interior since 1916
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2002
80 CENTS (HOME DELIVERED: 54 CENTS A DAY)
Fallen comrades mourned
Residents join local firefighters to honour the victims of 9/11
by KAREN KWAN Citizen staff
As flags hung at half-mast in front of city hall and Prince George firefighters gathered in the morning mist to mark the tragic events of Sept. 11 one year ago, a woman stood across the street, clutching a bouquet of flowers and wiping tears from her face.
When the remembrance ceremony was over, she crossed the street to lay the crimson and cream flowers outside the downtown fire hall. “I lost a couple of friends (at the World Trade Center). They were visiting and that was the first place they stopped,” she said before hurrying away, overcome with emotion.
In all, 3,025 people perished in the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and aboard a downed flight in Pennsylvania, including 24 Canadians and 343 firefighters.
On Wednesday, about 60 firefighters and 40 civilians gathered outside the No. 1 fire hall on Seventh Avenue in tribute to those who lost their lives, observing two minutes of silence, starting at 10:28 a.m. — the time the second of the twin towers collapsed, Eastern Standard Time. The vigil was held in conjunction with ceremonies in 43 other communities across the province, which are served by professional firefighters.
It was a chance for firefighters to honour their fallen comrades and the sacrifices they made, said Al Leier, president of the Prince George Fire Fighters Union. “It lets us reflect on the terrible loss and also on the families who have to carry on,” he said. “It’s wonderful to see people come out and join us.” Firefighters are constantly killed in the line
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INDEX
Annie’s Mailbox..........15
Bridge...................22
Business .............16-18
City, B.C............3,6,13
Classified ..........20-23
Comics ..................14
Coming Events.............2
Crossword ...............14
Entertainment............15
Horoscope ...............22
Lotteries................19
Lifestyles...............15
Movies....................15
Nation.....................7
Sports .................8-12
Television................15
World..................19,24
canada.com
Citizen photo by Brent Braaten
Prince George Fire Department firefighters remove their caps and bow their heads for two minutes of silence at 10:28 a.m. local time Wednesday. The second tower at the World Trade Centre In New York collapsed at 10:28 a.m. Eastern time last Sept. 11. About 60 firefighters and 40 residents, along with other emergency personnel, were on hand for the sombre ceremony.
of duty, he said, but “I think all of us think more about the dangers after this happened.”
Others were also moved, recalling last year’s horrific events.
“I just wanted to come and show my support for the Prince George Fire Department and everyone who’s in rescue services,” said Lana Wilson. “I was shocked like everyone else and saddened (when it happened). I couldn’t believe it,” she said.
Lynn Gracey said she worries about
the safety of her son-in-law, who’s a Prince George firefighter. For her three young grandchildren, their father’s job took on a new significance after Sept. 11. “It was upsetting for them to realize their father could be in danger. It was very overwhelming for them with all the media coverage," Gracey said.
Canadian Red Cross Society employees Sherri Grewal and Sarah White attended as representatives of the Northern B.C./Yukon chapter as well as for personal reasons.
“During Sept. 11, the Red Cross and fire department, locally and internationally, worked together in many ways, so it’s important for us to show support for them,” White said. In the aftermath, the Red Cross assisted people who were stranded on diverted flights, made inquiries about missing Canadians, and continues to support their families today. Several Red Cross volunteers from northern B.C., including one from Prince George, assisted with the humanitarian effort at ground zero.
Even though the events were so distant, geographically, from Prince George, the tragedy played close to the hearts of local residents, Mayor Colin Kinsley said. He recalled the hundreds of residents who lined up outside city hall to sign a book of condolences and leave gifts and mementos, which were sent to the White House. “Prince George was moved by it, there’s no doubt about it. The community came together,” he said.
— See pages 7,13 and 19
Living with deadly allergies
Mom worries about safety of son, 11
by BERNICE TRICK Citizen staff
Every time 11-year-old Kristopher Gaiesky goes out the door his mother Judy worries about his safety because of his anaphylactic allergies.
For Kristopher it’s life threatening to consume such common foods as milk, eggs and peanuts. Even a taste of these foods could cause his throat and airway to close, cause him to go into shock, or even die.
“When he was eight months we were told he must never, never have these foods,” said Judy, who unknowingly had given him cereal with milk, causing him to turn blue and go limp by the time they reached the emergency ward.
As a supporter of all kids with allergies, Judy said she “couldn’t believe it” when she read a story in Tuesday’s Citizen in which a parent complained about a peanut-product ban in Westwood elementary school because it severely restricted her child’s diet.
“Sending peanut products to school where there are anaphylactic children is the same thing as sending them to school with a loaded gun,” said Judy.
Linda Hunter, respiratory education co-ordinator with the Northern Health Authority, said peanut allergies tend to be among the most severe types of allergies.
“They express themselves in instant swelling of the face and mouth, and closing of the throat and airway.
Instantaneously, the child can, within minutes, move from being normal to cardiogenic shock and death.
“Do you know how much of’a peanut it takes to cause this? You can’t even see the amount of peanut it takes with your naked eye to bring this on,” said Hunter. “People need to know how dangerous this condition is. One mother said it best when she told a group of parents, ‘I wish this was the other way around. I’d give anything if I was the one being asked not to send peanut butter to school.”
Kristopher has attended Spruceland elementary school — where there are five anaphylactic students — since kindergarten and all his classmates respect his condition.
“There is no peanut ban there, but the kids are the ones who go home and tell their mothers they cannot take peanuts to school,” said Judy.
The school always has two shots of the antidote, epinephrine (Epi-pens) on hand to administer if Kristopher has an allergy reaction, and Judy has the $90-a-shot pens on hand at home also.
— See editorial and letters on page 4, related story andfactbox on page 13
Citizen photo by Dave Milne
Kristopher Gaiesky, 11, and his mom, Judy, with an Epl-pen, the antidote he needs to save his life If he has an allergy reaction.
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