NY rescue workers to visit Northern Ireland

New York emergency workers who bore the brunt of the September 11 terror attacks were leaving for Northern Ireland today on a fact-finding mission.

Firefighters, police officers and other emergency workers were among those heading to Belfast for the weekend delegation.

Frontline emergency workers and counsellors from both countries will discuss how they have responded to disasters like September 11 and the Omagh bombing, and how rescue crews were counselled after the traumatic events.

The group of 16 American emergency workers will visit Belfast, Enniskillen and Omagh.

They were invited by the Northern Ireland Centre for Trauma and Transformation (NICTT).

Centre director David Bolton said: “We are delighted colleagues from New York have been able to come to Northern Ireland.

“Colleagues from New York will be telling us of how they managed the response to the enormous tragedy caused by the destruction of the twin towers, and how they responded to the immediate and longer-term health needs of the city.

“We will be sharing with them our work and the lessons and experiences in dealing with the consequences of 35 years of conflict and violence.

“In particular we will be briefing them on the approaches to the treatment of trauma and related health needs that we have been developing here in Northern Ireland.”

NICTT chairman, Professor Fabian Monds, added: “Sadly the joint experience of 30 years of the troubles in Northern Ireland and the recent lessons from the tragedies of September 2001 may strike a resonance for other agencies and organisations dealing with similar tragic events and conflicts around the world.”

The NICTT was established in 2002 to expand the trauma treatment developed following the Omagh bombing of August 1998, which killed 29 people and unborn twins.

Another 400 people were injured in the attack, 135 seriously.

The centre currently has a dozen staff, including medical and psychiatric specialists and hopes to expand in the coming months.