Santa Fe commemorated the 21st anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks Sunday in a ceremony at Fire Station #1 on Murales Road.
Congresswomen Teresa Leger Fernandez and city officials laid roses next to a table dressed to memorialize the 343 firefighters who were killed responding to the Twin Towers in New York.
Santa Fe Fire Chief Brian Moya says it’s important to always honor those who lost their lives that day, particularly those who aren’t old enough to remember the events of 9/11.
“My daughter wasn’t even born when this event happened. We have firefighters in the department that are 20 years old, so they weren’t even born (on 9/11),” he said. “So I think it’s a big significance to do this, to continue to honor these people, and to make sure that moving forward that we never forget. I think that it’s such a huge part of our history. We were one way before 9/11 and moving forward in the future of 9/11 we’ve changed how we’ve done things.”
During the ceremony, Santa Fe firefighters took turns walking up and down a set of steps to signify the first responders who had walked up the steps of the World Trade Center, in an attempt to rescue the people who were in the twin towers when the planes struck, and many who were killed when they fell.
A bell was rung in the “Striking of the Four-Fives” which is traditionally used by fire departments to honor when one of their own had died in the line of duty.