LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Las Vegas Fire and Rescue Station 5 hosted its annual "Tolling of the Bells" ceremony Friday morning, marking 25 years since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Dozens of community members and first responders gathered to honor the lives lost.
WATCH: RECAP OF TOLLING OF THE BELLS CEREMONY
The tolling of the bells is a tradition deeply rooted in fire service. Before radio communications existed, fire stations would ring bells in sets of five, three times, to signify that a firefighter had been killed in the line of duty. On Sept. 11, 2001, 343 New York City firefighters were killed, with hundreds more dying in the days, months, and years that followed. That immense loss is deeply personal to fellow men and women in fire service, who put their lives on the line for us every day.
Friday morning, Station 5 hoisted a flag up to half-staff — a flag that once flew above the World Trade Center. Underneath it was a piece of metal from the building that had been pulled from the rubble. Additionally, there is a special Callery pear tree there — one of two seedlings gifted to the City of Las Vegas that came from the only surviving tree at the World Trade Center after it collapsed. The other seedling-turned-tree is thriving at Police Memorial Park, according to LVFR. The original tree still lives at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum site in New York.
Patricia J. McCabe, the current Administrative Manager to the Chief of the NY Fire Academy — who worked at the Fire Department of New York during 9/11 and said she was at headquarters when the attacks occurred — attended the local ceremony to pay tribute. She and her husband said they've been traveling to attend the Las Vegas ceremony for years. The New Yorkers said it allows them to be impartial about how the ceremony is conducted and simply appreciate the tribute and be present.
"Here we are, 25 years later, and you can't forget it. It doesn't get any easier," McCabe said. "So, you never know what's going to happen, and every year these memories come back stronger than ever."
A local student also came out before school started Friday morning to pay his respects. He tells me his parents were in the city that tragic day, and that his grandfather was working near the towers on Sept. 11, 2001.
"I wanted to show that I care about the event. I actually want to show up to be part of this," said Liam Tasci.
Las Vegas firefighters say Station 5 has become a place of tribute where community members gather every year on 9/11 to remember those lives that were lost.
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