Yuma firefighters carry on 25-year 9/11 remembrance tradition

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) - A 25-year tradition honoring first responders killed on September 11, 2001, is being passed down to a new generation of Yuma firefighters.

For 25 years, retired Yuma Fire Captain Paul Evancho has placed hundreds of American flags outside Yuma Fire Station Two each September.

Each flag represents a first responder who never made it home — including 343 firefighters and 72 law enforcement officers who died on 9/11.

This year, Evancho handed the tradition over to Yuma Fire Department probationary firefighter and EMT Dane Bingham.

Bingham helped organize a group of firefighters to help place the flags in neat, symmetrical rows, continuing the display Evancho has maintained for decades.

“I mean, it’s an honor for me to have it passed down to me,” Bingham said. “I’m 20 years old, I wasn’t even alive when 9/11 happened. So it just honors me that he values me enough to pass it down to me. To continue the tradition and continue spreading it.”

Evancho says the display is meant to help people understand the human cost of the attacks and ensure the sacrifices of those who died are not forgotten.

With the tradition now in Bingham’s hands, the Yuma Fire Department hopes it will continue to honor the fallen and remind future generations of the importance of remembering September 11.