History

9/11 Tribute

What started as an ordinary fall day quickly turned into a devastating terrorist attack on our country that changed the trajectory of many lives.

We will never forget the first responders who paid the ultimate sacrifice to save as many lives as possible. There are so many stories of heroism and courage exhibited on that day; here are three stories demonstrating the values of the fire service and acts of heroism:

Chief Ray Downey was in charge of rescue operations at the tower site on 9/11. Being in charge, he could have set up his operation at a safe distance from the incident, but that was not the makeup of this 39-year veteran of the FDNY. As a former U.S. Marine and one of the most decorated officers in the department’s history, he chose to run rescue operations on the front line and actively participate in rescues in the south tower. Chief Downey did what he had always done — he placed the well-being of others before his own. While the south tower’s collapse took his life, it did not take the spirit of the firefighters he led.

Another example was Chief of Department Peter Ganci, the highest-ranking officer of the FDNY; he survived the first building collapse of the south tower. Many of his command personnel could climb out of the basement where the initial command post was placed. Chief Ganci then sent everyone north to set up a new command post out of harm’s way. Instead of going directly to the command post, he started rescue operations on West Street, leaving him in the collapse zone when the north tower fell. Despite the personal risk, he felt that he could do the most good for his firefighters and civilians by setting up a new rescue operations area before going to the command post. There is no doubt that his actions saved many lives.

Lastly, we recall the story about the courageous FDNY Chaplain Mychal Judge. While sworn firefighters did not fill this position, it was common practice for FDNY chaplains to respond to any significant incident in New York City. Without concern for his safety, Chaplain Judge responded, as he had so many times before, to administer Last Rites to firefighters and civilians. Shortly after his arrival, he was hit by falling debris, which killed him instantly. He was one of the first casualties on the ground from the attack.

“Never forget” is a phrase that the American fire service and the Louisville Fire Protection District use to remember the 343 brave firefighters that lost their lives in the line of duty on 9/11. In that spirit, we dedicated a bronze plaque at Station 1, marking the significance of that day in American history. It also serves as a daily reminder of the risks associated with our jobs and that we should never take for granted what we have learned from those who sacrificed the most. We encourage everyone to visit our 9/11 memorial plaque and our recently dedicated World Trade Center metal piece at Fire Station One.