A Warren County doctor who responded to Ground Zero 20 years ago said the efforts to find survivors among the wreckage of the World Trade Center have helped shape his career in emergency rooms ever since.

On September 11, 2001, Dr. Randy Mariott got the call to make the trip to New York City as part of Ohio Task Force 1.

“We thought that we were heading there with significant potential of being able to rescue live victims,” he said. “That was our hope.”

For the medical director of Premier Health EMS Center of Excellence, that hope never materialized. When they got to New York City on Sept. 12, there were no survivors to find. The team instead focused on recovering remains, and Marriott attended to the health and safety of other first responders.

“That was the most difficult part,” he said. “The realization that nearly 3,000 of our fellow citizens, not to mention over 400 first responders, were still in that pile and we probably could do nothing to help them.”

His time at Ground Zero has often influenced his work as an emergency department doctor at Premier Health’s different hospitals across the area, he said.

“I think that just the preparation has played a role in my career,” Marriott said. “I’ve tried to focus on doing more with less.”

In addition to having the experience influence his career, he also said the terrorist attacks may have helped make a doctor out of his son.

“I picked him up at his middle school on the way to the hospital to get medical gear that we had to take with us,” Marriott said. “He actually helped me carry out the medical supplies that went to Ground Zero.”

SURFSIDE, Fla. —

Ohio Task Force 1 has started their long journey home, following a mission at the site of the deadly condo collapse in Surfside, Florida. The crew of 82 members is expected back home Thursday after spending nearly two weeks at the site of the collapse, sifting through debris and recovering victims.

In order to address the traumatic toll the recovery effort will have on crews, Ohio Task Force 1 has made and is making mental health resources available.

"This level of tragedy is not something that we see very often. I think many people have made comparisons to 911," said Dr. Daniel Bachmann, an emergency physician at Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center who deployed as the task force's medical team manager. "Probably the best support was just amongst our own team... We have a lot of people who are experienced in dealing with tragic situations."

Throughout the trip, professional help was available through groups like the International Association of Fire Fighters, who had crews at the site of the collapse to meet with search and rescue crews following any traumatic event.

"It was emotionally draining work. It was physically demanding work. And for those reasons, I think a lot of us have not even caught up with everything that has happened," Bachmann said. "That's why it's important that we have these ongoing resources not just at the scene, not just as we demobilize but really going forward for days, weeks, months, maybe even years."

Team members were briefed on mental health during the stint in Florida and were required to "stand down" for 24 hours before starting the trip home, allowing crews a chance to decompress, talk about what they experienced and seek help if needed.

Bachmann said there will be follow-up for each team member, especially due to the likelihood of developing PTSD.

"I think the risk that I am most concerned about is that we will lose team members because of the impact of what we've done," he said. "It would be a great loss if we did lose team members, and that's why we want to support them."

Letters were sent out Tuesday to each of the families of crew members, offering resources and concerning signs to be aware of in loved ones like difficulty sleeping or irritability.