This year marks the 22nd anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York, the Pentagon in Washington D.C. and the airplane crash in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. On that tragic day, the lives of nearly 3,000 Americans were lost. Among those taken were 343 firefighters from the New York City Fire Department and 71 law enforcement officers.
The County of Los Angeles Fire Department (LACoFD) vowed to never forget the brave, courageous, and extraordinary acts of heroism of first responders who found themselves running toward danger, into raging fires and crumbling buildings, paying the ultimate sacrifice in giving their all to serve, protect, and save others. LACoFD personnel participated in several Patriot Day and National Day of Service and Remembrance events:
On Sunday, September 10, 2023, LACoFD Fire Station (FS) 87 attended a Remember and Honor Blue Mass at St. Louis of France Catholic Church in unincorporated La Puente. The special 9/11 remembrance mass served as a time for first responders to receive a special blessing and honor past fallen firefighters. Fire Captain Larry Duran, who has been assigned to FS 87 for several years and a familiar face in this community, was presented with a certificate of recognition for his dedicated service to La Puente.
The next day, Monday, September 11, LACoFD Fire Chief Anthony C. Marrone joined the Los Angeles Fire Department and other dignitaries, to remember the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks at the Frank Hotchkin Memorial Training Center in Los Angeles.
That same morning, Fifth District Supervisor Kathryn Barger, the LACoFD’s Honor Guard, chaplains, and firefighters participated in a multi-agency annual 9/11 remembrance ceremony. The ceremony took place at the Fallen Heroes Memorial at the Antelope Valley Mall in Palmdale. This year’s ceremony included participants from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, California Highway Patrol, U.S. Forest Service, Angeles National Forest, and the Palmdale High School Chamber Singers.
The Department will never forget the brave first responders and individuals who lost their lives that day.
