Harran: Sept. 11 Attacks Made Us Stronger

Fred Harran, Bensalem’s public safety director and emergency management coordinator, spoke with Patch recently regarding the upcoming 10th anniversary of the terror attacks.

Looking through his copy of Above Hallowed Ground: A Photographic Record of September 11, 2001 by the photographers of the New York City Police Department, Harran called 9/11 “this generation’s Pearl Harbor.”

“It really made us aware of terrorism and how it could happen here in the U.S,” he said.

He said the terrorists’ actions that day had an unintended benefit.

“If those 19 morons hadn’t decided to crash planes into the towers, we wouldn’t be as prepared as we are today,” Harran said. “Agencies from national to local have improved our communication and coordination.”

He noted that the federal government standardized emergency response following 9/11 and provided training and funding for local responders. He said Bensalem now works with Philadelphia, Bristol, Bucks County and other surrounding agencies on a regular basis.

“We are really united against terrorism and natural disasters now…They (terrorists) didn’t make us weaker. They made us stronger. The thousands that died that day didn’t die in vain.”

Harran said he would be participating in several events of remembrance on Sept. 11 including the township's

"We should remember what happened that day and strive to make sure it doesn't happen again," he said.