Firefighters, police to host early morning 9-11 memorial events

By Mary Manning

Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2008 | 1 p.m.

Las Vegas Fire Department firefighters and Metro Police have plans to pay tribute to those who perished in the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. seven years ago on 9-11.

Las Vegas firefighters will join with fire departments nationwide in paying tribute to the 343 firefighters who lost their lives on Sept. 11, 2001, said Tim Szymanski, spokesman for the fire department.

A simple remembrance will be held at all city fire departments at 6:54 a.m. Thursday when each city fire station's dispatchers will sound three sets of bell tones over the fire department's communications channel in tribute to the New York City firefighters who perished.

The ringing of the bell is a tradition of the fire service known as the "tolling of the bells," Szymanski said. Years before modern radio communications existed, fire alarm boxes assigned a number would ring when a person pulled a fire alarm. Firefighters memorized all the box numbers and would respond.

If a firefighter was killed in the line of duty, fire dispatch would ring the bell in sets of five, three times. This would let everyone in the department know that a firefighter had just lost his or her life in the line of duty, Szymanski said.

As in the past six years, fire dispatchers will ring a bell Thursday five times in sets of three in honor of the New York City firefighters.

In addition to the bells, a special United States flag that once flew over the World Trade Center will be hoisted to half-staff in front of Las Vegas Fire Station No. 5, which is located at 1020 Hinson Street off West Charleston Boulevard, at 6:55 a.m. Thursday.

A piece of steel from the World Trade Center is on display in front of the Hinson Street station. The city of New York requested that a special flag be flown over the piece of steel at half-staff each Sept. 11. It has been done in Las Vegas every year since the city received the flag in 2004.

A student will present Fire Chief Greg Gammon with a special tribute item that will be displayed in Fire Station No. 5 each Sept. 11 and will remain on display in the lobby of fire headquarters the rest of the year.

The public is invited to join firefighters at any of the city fire stations for Thursday's tribute, Szymanski said.

At 6:30 p.m. Metro Police will remember the victims of the terrorist attacks at the Clark County Amphitheater, 500 S. Grand Central Pkwy. The service will conclude with a candle-light vigil about 7:30 p.m.

Clark County Fire Dept. Senior Deputy Fire Chief Stephen Ratigan, Henderson Fire Chief Douglas Stevens and Las Vegas Fire Chief Greg Gammon will speak at the ceremony.

The Palo Verde Vocal Ensemble, "Vocal Infinity," will provide music for the event and several local grade schools have created posters which will hang in tribute to the 2,819 Americans who died that day.