Big Island firefighter put in focus during documentary for Sept. 11

By Tanya Bricking
Advertiser Staff Writer

Some Hawai'i residents may have seen a face they recognized if they were among the 39 million viewers drawn to CBS' "9/11" documentary Sunday.

A photo of Jerry Lum, a firefighter from Kurtistown on the Big Island, flashed on the screen during a segment paying tribute to the bravery of rescue workers.

The special, with actor Robert De Niro as host, showed exclusive footage from inside the World Trade Center during the attacks. It focused on heroes rather than heartbreak and reached more prime-time viewers than any nonsports broadcast this season.

Lum, 32, a firefighter and emergency medical technician for the South Kohala Fire Department, was chosen to represent Hawai'i because "they wanted to show everyday people" in the rescue business.

He is a fire equipment operator and acting captain at the station, whose firefighters also do air-medical and ocean rescues along the Kohala Coast. Although he was nowhere near New York during the attacks, the married father of one said Sept. 11 helped put his own life into perspective and connected him with firefighters nationwide.

"It put a little more to me that this is a dangerous job," he said. "All of us in this job, we really take pride in what we do."