I'VE SHED A LOT OF TEARS THIS WEEK
I've shed a lot of tears this week'
THE FIREMAN
THE rare sunshine of last Saturday brought John Langtry out and into his garden.
The Deputy Divisional Commander for Omagh Fire Brigade was mowing his lawn when the bomb exploded.
His natural reaction was to head immediately for the town centre.
Like so many others, he was not prepared for the harrowing scene he met.
"I must have driven through hundreds of casualties to get to the centre of the bomb," he recalled.
"Our first job has to be to prevent any fires or further loss of life.
"There wasn't a fire, just minor smouldering, which we extinguished in a matter of seconds.
"Other fire officers started to arrive, and it was nice to see a friendly face.
"The police and ambulance were attending to the civilians on the street, so we decided to search the buildings.
Searching
"I took one side of the street and my colleague, Gerry Waring, took the other.
"We went into the least damaged buildings first, hoping to find people who we could help.
"All the time I was aware that there were a lot of bodies and very serious injuries.
"We were searching the rubble for casualties and, at worst, bodies.
"The closer we got to the bomb, the more substantial the numbers of dead.
"Everyone was splattered with blood, so that it was difficult to distinguish the injured from those helping.
"There were people who didn't know where their families were, but they knew they had been shopping in Omagh.
"I was fortunate, because I knew my family was at home.
"I've been in the fire brigade 17 years, and I've seen some awful things - but nothing on that scale.
"Firefighters have the mindset to help people, and it is very disturbing to see so many hurt and injured.
Tears
"I've shed a lot of tears since Saturday. You feel relieved that your family is all right, but guilty that you and your family are OK when so many didn't escape.
"The thoughts of the whole fire brigade are with the families of those who lost loved ones and who were injured."
THE FIREMAN
THE rare sunshine of last Saturday brought John Langtry out and into his garden.
The Deputy Divisional Commander for Omagh Fire Brigade was mowing his lawn when the bomb exploded.
His natural reaction was to head immediately for the town centre.
Like so many others, he was not prepared for the harrowing scene he met.
"I must have driven through hundreds of casualties to get to the centre of the bomb," he recalled.
"Our first job has to be to prevent any fires or further loss of life.
"There wasn't a fire, just minor smouldering, which we extinguished in a matter of seconds.
"Other fire officers started to arrive, and it was nice to see a friendly face.
"The police and ambulance were attending to the civilians on the street, so we decided to search the buildings.
Searching
"I took one side of the street and my colleague, Gerry Waring, took the other.
"We went into the least damaged buildings first, hoping to find people who we could help.
"All the time I was aware that there were a lot of bodies and very serious injuries.
"We were searching the rubble for casualties and, at worst, bodies.
"The closer we got to the bomb, the more substantial the numbers of dead.
"Everyone was splattered with blood, so that it was difficult to distinguish the injured from those helping.
"There were people who didn't know where their families were, but they knew they had been shopping in Omagh.
"I was fortunate, because I knew my family was at home.
"I've been in the fire brigade 17 years, and I've seen some awful things - but nothing on that scale.
"Firefighters have the mindset to help people, and it is very disturbing to see so many hurt and injured.
Tears
"I've shed a lot of tears since Saturday. You feel relieved that your family is all right, but guilty that you and your family are OK when so many didn't escape.
"The thoughts of the whole fire brigade are with the families of those who lost loved ones and who were injured."
Further Information
Publisher: SUNDAY LIFE
Ref: SL/027
Published Date: 23-Aug-98
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