Learning About 9/11 at the SFD

By Liz Page

STAMFORD – On Wednesday, there were discussions here and there about the 9/11 attacks. Many of us recall what a gorgeous day it was. I can remember looking up at the sky after hearing the news and wondering how something so terrible could happen on a day when there was such a beautiful azure sky.

There were cries of "We Will Not Forget". One man painted on the side of a barn in Hobart. But some fear we are forgetting and that is why those who lived through it, many with PTSD, are telling their stories. I stood listening inside the Stamford Fire Hall as a video was playing of loved ones reading off the names of each individual who died that day. It is very somber.

There's a fire hose with the names of all the firefighters who died and those who continue to die after exposure to the toxic ruins and lengthy cleanup. In another display, there are photos of all those lost.

Each year, members of the Stamford Fire Department open the doors to the public. Anyone is welcome to come in and light a candle in memory of someone or to walk around and view the many displays that are available. At the end of the day, there is a service. This has been going on for 23 years now.

This year, for the first time, the fifth and sixth graders from South Kortright Central School came to the Stamford Fire Department as part of a history lesson about 9/11.

Ann Burgin, a sixth-grade teacher at South Kortright, said she teaches about 9/11 in her history class, because she believes it is very important the students learn about it.

She is wondering if there aren't even other items that could be added in future years and said she appreciates keeping the history of what happened alive. She learned of the displays at the Stamford Fire Department and made arrangements for the students to visit and learn.

"I feel we are forgetting. There is a generation that needs to know. That is this generation. Not to scare them, but for them to learn about what happened on that day."

She was teaching a class at Andes Central School on 9/11 and she remembers how everything just stopped. One student asked if the school was canceled. She said no, but the rest of the day was spent trying to learn about what had happened and to know if there was a danger to the rest of us from the attacks.

Fifth grader Madeline Zahra tried on the turnout out gear and donned a self-contained breathing apparatus pack to see how much weight each firefighter was carrying as they made their way up the 2200 stairs of the 110-story World Trade Center. They learned that more New York City Fire Department members have now died from illnesses linked to working at the World Trade Center in the aftermath than the 343 who were killed on that day. The number now exceeds 360. There were 2,763 killed at the World Trade Center on 9/11, 174 others at the Pentagon and 40 in the plane that crashed in Pennsylvania.

It has forever changed how we live. People vowed to fight terrorism and other Americans died in the fight against terrorism. Burgin said it is important to know why there was a war in Afghanistan.

A man on television Wednesday morning said it is also important to note how the nation came together after the attacks.

As SFD member Becky Smith addressed the 50 students inside the firehouse on Wednesday, she was encouraged to know that a group of students left the firehouse on Wednesday, knowing more about an important and tragic event in history. It is something that is very near and dear to her heart and something she works hard on each year, so that we do not forget.