Firehouse No. 2 remembering the fallen of 9/11
Yuma Fire Department has been upholding the tradition to never forget the fallen firefighters during the September 11 attacks in New York City.
Not everyone may have had lost a loved one on that day, but tomorrow, exactly 18 years ago, the United States once again remembers the attacks that made everyone in America feel like they lost one of their own.
Captain Paul Evancho still remembers how television newscasts were describing hearing ‘ car alarms’ underneath the rubble of the collapsed World Trade Center.
While getting ready for work that morning, he knew that those sounds coming from underneath tons of wrecked steel, glass and concrete were the beeps coming from PASS devices on the bodies of now-deceased firefighters.
” Every firefighter in the country knew that that was a PASS alarm that belonged to firefighters, ” said Capt. Evancho. ” So that was sickening, we knew that those beeps in every direction at different levels we knew there was a firefighter down. ”
The alert devices are worn by firefighters when entering any hazardous environment, after a short period of inactivity the devices begins beeping, in an effort to alert others around that there is a fallen firefighter.
Since the first anniversary of 9/11, Yuma Fire Department’s Station No. 2 has honored the 343 firefighters that lost their lives while attempting to save those trapped at the World Trade Center.
“We all know the final count was 343 firefighters in a cowardly act of terrorism so what we are doing here is putting a flag for every firefighter that was killed on that day, ” said Capt. Evancho. ” It’s an aesthetic reminder that each one of these flags represents one of those guys, It’s what we do.”
On the 10th Anniversary of the attacks, the display added an extra 72 flags to commemorate the 72 law enforcement members that also lost their lives.
The memorial is placed on the lawn of the fire station as a reminder to the local community to never forget and as a promise to the fallen heroes that we are never going to forget.
“So every year people come by we just want to remind them we light this up at night, ” said Capt. Evancho. ” As a reminder, we promise not to forget, this is our way to let them know that we certainly don’t forget ”
The display will remain lit for two nights until Thursday.
Mark as read
Mark as unread
Add flag
Remove flag
Actions
Inbox
Sent
Move to…
