Honoring 25 Years of Remembrance & Resilience
2026 marks the 25th anniversary of the September 11th attacks. We must remember our enduring promise to those we lost to Never Forget. Those words , “Never Forget” are powerful. To keep memories alive requires us to occasionally tear open wounds that hurt. As firefighters, we think about and discuss 9/11 frequently. The loss of 343 firefighters that day was the worst loss of life the fire service ever experienced. Overall, we lost 2,977 people that day in NYC, Washington DC, and Shanksville, PA. Truly, a day that should never be forgotten.
10 House, near Ground Zero
The pain continues to this day according to the IAFF (International Association of Firefighters) statistics:
Total FDNY Deaths: Over 409 post-9/11 illness fatalities.
Day-of Deaths: 343 firefighters.
Ongoing Toll: The department continues to lose approximately three members every month to World Trade Center-linked diseases.
Common Illnesses: Fatalities are largely driven by various forms of cancer, severe respiratory conditions, and pulmonary diseases caused by toxic dust and debris exposure at Ground Zero.
To assist families and teachers to discuss 9/11 with our children, The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation and other sponsors have published some media:
HERE ARE THE LINKS:
Remembering Sept 11 Teacher Guide.pdf
Remembering Sept 11 Family Guide.pdf
September 11 education and support for early childhood
PREVIEW:
If you ever get the chance to be in Manhattan, go to Ground Zero. Visit a firehouse and simply say “thanks”. Remember how we all treated each other the days, weeks, and months after the attacks? Please, BE those people.
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