An Amherst Firefighter inspects a truck before the ceremony.
Reminder Publishing photo by Trent Levakis
AMHERST — A Sept. 11 remembrance ceremony led by the Amherst Fire Department outside of the North Fire Station offered a space for reflection and memory of the fateful day 23 years ago.
The ceremony had a moment of silence in memory of those lost and members of the Amherst Fire and Police departments were lined up to pay their respects. The ceremony opened and closed with the ringing of bells. Amherst interim Fire Chief Lindsay Stromgren explained bells and telegrams were the original way fire departments would communicate emergencies across a community before the advancement of communications technology. Using different codes through bells and telegrams, firefighters would be able to message the location of a fire to one another.
One of these codes was used to signify the loss of a firefighter, also known as the striking of the four fives. The ceremony included the code, which is five bell strikes, repeated in four series, with a slight pause in between each series.
Following the ceremony Stromgren told Reminder Publishing as the day of remembrance was approaching, he was reflecting on just how much time has passed since Sept. 11, 2001.
“When I was a kid, Pearl Harbor was this big tragic thing that happened years ago. To us it was just history, at the time it was about 40 or so years in the past. We’re not getting to the point where this is 23 years in the past. We obviously have a new generation of people who weren’t even alive or remember it so in a way it’s becoming a piece of history in the U.S., but yet it’s still very raw in many ways to people,” Stromgren said.
He added many things changed that day forever, including the way firefighters and emergency service responders operate.
“A lot of things changed that day which we’re still dealing with so for us it’s not that long ago, so it’s important to remember it for both the tragedy that it was, the sacrifices that were given by those who were lost, but also where we’ve come since then and it did really make a lot of changes for the good for the fire services and emergency services in general,” Stromgren said.
A special addition to this year’s ceremony was a glass piece of artwork donated by artist Anne Burton that has the image of every firefighter who died on 9/11 in honor of their sacrifice.
Top row, from left: Amherst interim Fire Chief Lindsay Stromgren led the ceremony and spoke about the day of remembrance. Stromgren speaks during the ceremony. Members of the Amherst Fire Department (right) and the Amherst Police Department (left) stand at attention during the striking of the four fives. Bottom row: District 2 Town Council President Lynn Griesemer (left) and members of the public look at a donated piece of art by Anne Burton that showcases the faces of firefighters who died during the Sept. 11 attacks.
Reminder Publishing photos by Trent Levakis
