This week, on Friday morning, as the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks approached, the Orange County Fire Department held a ceremony to commemorate the nearly 3,000 victims, including the rescue workers who bravely fought against the flames and collapsing buildings at great risk to their own lives.
At 8:46 a.m., the moment when the first plane struck the North Tower of the World Trade Center that fateful year, elected officials, firefighters, and residents all stood and observed a moment of silence. In the 9/11 attacks, a total of 2,977 people lost their lives, including 343 firefighters.
Acting Fire Chief TJ McGovern stated, “Welcome everyone to this ceremony filled with remembrance and reflection, may we, under God’s grace, rediscover the unity that guided our nation through its darkest hour.”
Senior team pastor Emily McColl prayed, “We ask for God’s presence here, the eternal God who created man in His own image.”
She expressed that this gathering was to honor those who perished in the 9/11 attacks and those who later sacrificed their lives, thanking them for the courage and selflessness they displayed during those dark times. “In the weeks, months, and years following the event, they continued to answer the call, and we are determined to carry on this spirit,” she added.
McGovern mentioned FDNY chaplain Mychal Judge, who rushed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center during the crisis, praying for the whole city but tragically getting struck and killed by debris when the South Tower collapsed in the lobby, becoming the first officially recorded casualty of the 9/11 attacks. Five individuals together carried Judge’s body out of the North Tower, including two firefighters, a police officer, an EMT, and a civilian, who also recited the Last Rites from the Bible that the priest carried with him.
When the second plane hit the South Tower, Ladder 6 was preparing to climb up the North Tower, and Captain Jay Jonas said at the stairwell entrance, “There will be firefighters lost today.” However, not a single member of the team hesitated, instead, they gathered around the captain saying, “We’re with you, let’s go, captain.” They then encountered Chaplain Judge at the stairwell, where he prayed for them and gave them encouragement.
When the South Tower collapsed 45 minutes later, and Chaplain Judge perished, Ladder 6 was on the 27th floor of the North Tower and received the evacuation order. While descending to the 20th floor, they found 59-year-old Port Authority accountant Josephine Harris, injured, who insisted they leave her and move on.
Nevertheless, the members of Ladder 6 stopped, assisted Harris, and slowly and laboriously continued their descent. From a tactical perspective, this delay in action could have cost everyone their lives. At 10:28 a.m., they finally reached the stairwell on the fourth floor, just as the North Tower began to collapse.
This later became known as the “B Stairwell Miracle.” If the firefighters hadn’t helped Harris, she likely would have perished on the 20th floor, and the firefighters themselves might have met a similar fate upon reaching ground level. Their assistance to Harris allowed Ladder 6 and her to pause in that narrow but safe space at that crucial moment.
“Such courage and selflessness displayed during the 9/11 attacks are not uncommon,” McGovern stated. “We offer our highest respects to all those who worked tirelessly on and after 9/11; it also means that we must embody their spirit in our daily actions, slowing down when needed.”
Chairman of the Orange County Fire Department Board Josh Sweeney said, “After the 9/11 attacks, we solemnly pledged: Never forget.”
“Survivors recall firefighters encouraging civilians evacuating downwards, saying, ‘Don’t stop, you can do this; you’ll get out safely, keep going.’ These comforting words gave people the strength to continue evacuating, not a requirement or regulation from training courses, but a heroic act demonstrated by firefighters during 9/11 resulting from their noble character.”
After joining the Fire Department Board, Sweeney gradually came to understand firefighters through observing how they respond to every emergency dispatch – from rushing into fires to rappelling from helicopters, to hiking into wildfires. “They have loved ones at home to worry about, yet they steadfastly commit to training, preparing, and upholding their oath,” he said.
To conclude the memorial event, two firefighters performed the traditional bell-ringing ceremony that has been passed down for over two hundred years. One of them mentioned, “Today, we face a more dangerous work environment and need to adjust our strategic tactics, but our goal remains the same: saving lives, protecting property, even at great costs, this is our chosen profession and the tradition of firefighters.”
What does the tolling of the bell signify? Firstly, it marks the beginning of a firefighter’s shift, regardless of day or night, the alarm always sound along with the bell, summoning those brave souls to rush to the fire scene; then, when the fire is extinguished and the alarm ceases, the bell signals the successful completion of the mission; and when a comrade passes away, firefighters ring the bell in a “three-three” pattern (three sets of three rings), symbolizing the utmost respect: they have given their all, rest in peace.