Oroville honors California Admission Day, remembers Sept. 11
Former Fire Chief David Pittman reflects on events from 20 years ago
OROVILLE >> Both American flags and California state flags were placed along Montgomery Street and surrounding downtown streets Thursday, as the two flags were flown on the city’s Liberty Pole on Montgomery and Huntoon streets in honor of California Admission Day.
California Admission Day marks the day California became admitted as an official state in the United States of America.
The Native Sons of the Golden West assisted the California Heritage Council of Oroville in conjunction with the Exchange Club of Oroville in the hanging of the state flags, and Saturday the Exchange Club of Oroville will once again hang American flags around the city in honor of the 20th anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001.
The Exchange Club of Oroville assists in raising flags on each American holiday. It began in 1977 when community member Jim Lenhoff raised the flag on Oroville’s first Flag Day in that year.
Ahead of this year's 20th anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001 and the collapse of the World Trade Center towers, David Pittman, who was Oroville fire chief in 2001, took time to reflect.
Pittman began with Oroville Fire Department in 1974 and retired as fire chief in 2008. He now serves as a member of the Oroville City Council.
As a former chief and now fire technology professor at Butte College, Pittman stated that Sept. 11, 2001 was a catastrophic event that no one would have predicted. However today he can see why the buildings failed and collapsed due to a tremendous amount of fuel load which ignited and caused the steel to expand and for smoke to escape to floors above and below.
Pittman said he appreciates the hanging of the flags each year in Oroville and each year on Sept. 11 it serves as a remembrance but is also a respect of the flag.
“You'll notice when you see fire engines flying their flag, many engines I know of have flags all over or painted on the side of the truck,” Pittman said. “Many engines have the 9/11 memorial signal painted on the truck in some way or fashion. It's a remembrance for us all.”
Pittman said at the time of the event in 2001 Oroville had gone three days straight fighting the Poe Fire and had requested additional resources from other agencies, but the additional resources were unavailable due to a large fire burning in Yosemite.
“We got our butt kicked Sept. 8 and 9,” Pittman said.
On Sept. 11, 2001, Oroville fire crews got relieved to rest and recuperate at a base camp in Durham after fighting the Poe Fire, however just as crews got relieved they were informed a plane had hit the World Trade Center towers. Pittman said that a big television was set up and crews saw the two planes hitting the towers.
Pittman remembered telling crews that he didn't know what was going to happen but he had to ask the question of who would be willing to go assist with search and rescue and fire assistance if needed. Crews responded before he could finish the question by saying, “Don't even ask. We're ready to go. We're on our way.”
“I'll never forget — everyone said ‘Let's go,'” Pittman said. “It was just that simple. No one hesitated. We asked how many people need to go. We said we're an available resource, send us where you want. No hesitation after two days of a hell of a fire fight.”
With firefighting resources necessary in California, and no crews left Oroville, two captains and two additional firefighters still attended a funeral service for the firefighters who died in the attack.
Pittman said as a firefighter protecting life and property is the No. 1 priority and his crews had extensive training with high rise firefighting similar to that in New York because crews in Oroville had trained with the Sacramento Fire Department.
Pittman went into detail about how aerial ladders only go up seven stories so many firefighters were left on their own.
“It makes it a different perspective because we understand,” Pittman said. “We talk the same lingo in the fire world. If New York city was next door we would have had everybody there. Just like they had people show up. The word brotherhood is pretty heavy.”
Nearly all fire agencies remember the tragic occurrences of the lives lost on Sept. 11, 2001 in one form or another, and Pittman stated that there's a memorial on almost every fire engine that identifies the business of firefighting and that they are part of the United States.
Pittman also added that he has spoken with members of firefighting crews in other nations including Australia and said they too remember the importance of Sept. 11, 2001 in the United States.
“We like to think it's just the U.S. but our Australian firefighters recognize the significance. We would do the same,” Pittman said. “They come fight fires with us. They all do it a little different but they all have the same respect.”