First responders share their story

CLARENCE, N.Y. (WIVB) - A sign is now in place at a volunteer fire company, honoring the victims of flight 3407.

For the first time, first responders are opening up about their unique experience.

Aside from the residents on Long street, they were the first ones on the scene. Firefighter Tim Norris lives just blocks away and felt the impact from his home.

"You could feel it in the house, the house shook a little bit," said Norris.

And 30 seconds later, he pulled up to the most unimagineable sight, not even knowing what had happened at the time.

"The only confirmation that I had, in fact, that there was a plane was after I got 180 degrees around the scene, I had come in contact with what is the tail of the plane," said Norris.

One by one, the firefighters from the Clarence Center Volunteer Fire department got the call and without hesitation, got right to work.

"I was focused, I knew my job, I did what I had to do," said Assistant Chief Don Festaiuti.

They knew early on that this wasn't going to be a rescue operation, and moved quickly on getting the fire out and preventing it from spreading to other Long Street homes.

Chief of Clarence Center Volunteer Fire Company, Dave Case, said, "We were up against the 8 ball twice. Once with a natural gas leak in the home and a stubborn fire in the fuselage."

This is especially tough for Chief Dave Case, "I knew the neighborhood," he said.

Case grew up on Long Street and knows how tight knit this neighborhood is, and can only imagine what homeowners are thinking now, as they move back to their homes.

"There's gonna be that constant reminder now, 'What if it was 200 yards to the right?'," said Case.

The "what if's" are haunting, as well as the images from that night, but these first responders say their grief from this tragedy will bring them closer.

Captain Rod Keoppel said, "You sorta just have to take it in steps I guess, but as a group we will get through it and we'll be stronger for it."

The Firefighters from Clarence Center credit the 12 other departments that responded that night.