New York Firefighters: The Brotherhood of 9/11

Narrated by Stockard Channing, this affecting program commences with a montage of footage from the September 11, 2001 tragedy intercut with recollections of people who were in the WTC towers, before moving on to the central narrative revolving around Rescue Station 3, manned by a select squad of New York City rescue specialists (differing from water and ladder teams). Focusing on the aftermath of the WTC attacks, which claimed eight of the group's members, New York Firefighters: The Brotherhood of 9/11 touches on public memorials, private gatherings, and reminiscences of happier times, as the tight-knit crew of Rescue 3 persevere in the courageous firefighting profession in a post-9/11 environment. In this hour-shy documentary, viewers will see group members in a variety of personal and professional situations--working on the job, making dinner together, and watching a home movie of the WTC disaster six weeks after the attacks (complete with a haunting scene with "chirps"--the noise that comes from the alarm fastened to firefighters' gear if they are immobile for too long). In addition, the program includes often touching visits from family members of fallen firefighters (although occasionally the filmmakers go overboard to capture the emotional intensity, at one point shoving a visible microphone in the face of a 13-year-old son of a late firefighter who is trying to have a private moment with his dad's former colleague). Overall, this program offers a unique perspective on the members of Rescue 3 who are trying to cope with tremendous loss while also struggling to return to some semblance of normalcy. Recommended. Aud: P. (J. Williams)