Sixteen years ago today, 412 emergency workers lost their lives responding to the terrorist attack on the World Trade Centre in New York City.
Some 343 of those emergency workers were firefighters, just like Kevin Klein of the Guelph Fire Department, who was hired in the year 2000.
“I was on the job just over a year at that point. It kind of hit home that’s the job you’re doing — these guys are doing the same thing,” said Klein during a moment of silence held today at the Clair Street Emergency Services Centre.
Klein, now acting captain with the department, followed in his father’s footsteps as a firefighter in Guelph.
At 9:03 a.m. Monday, staff at each of the fire stations in Guelph took a moment to recognize the exact moment an airliner hit the second of the Twin Towers 16 years ago. The first tower was hit at 8:46 a.m.
“Obviously 9/11 has had a big impact on all emergency services. It’s definitely a day to remember,” said Klein.
Klein and the on-duty firefighters usually stationed at Station 1 downtown were at Clair Street Emergency Services Centre Monday at 9:03 a.m.
“We were down here training, so we took our moment of silence here,” he said.
The inaugural Firefighters' National Memorial Day was held yesterday, a national remembrance that will fall on the second Sunday every September.
More than 1,300 firefighters have died in the line of duty since the first recorded fatality in 1848 — 13 so far in the year 2017.
The flags at all fire stations across the city were lowered to half staff Sunday and Monday.
Klein said it means a lot to have a day to recognize the firefighters who were lost, not only on 9/11.
“It’s big for us to be recognized,” said Klein.
Remembering 911. @ChiefOsborne @guelphpffaprez pic.twitter.com/HgLlHkezVt
— GuelphFireDepartment (@GuelphFire) September 11, 2017
