Vancouver firefighters raised $600,000 for families after 9/11

Vancouver firefighters raised $600,000 in the month after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks to support the families of fallen New York firefighters, according to Vancouver Fire Rescue Services deputy chief Keith Stewart.

Stewart recalled the effort on the sombre 25th anniversary of the attacks. He had been finishing a night shift on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, when news spread at his fire hall that the World Trade Center in New York City had been attacked.

The incoming shift was arriving, and the 16 firefighters present turned on the television to follow the unfolding events. Stewart said that although departing firefighters would normally leave once replacements arrived, everyone stayed that morning.

The first tower collapsed 56 minutes after it was struck by a hijacked passenger plane. Stewart said he and his colleagues immediately understood that many first responders would likely be among the dead. He recalled hearing sirens in the background before the collapse, then hearing them suddenly stop.

Vancouver crews organized a boot drive one month after the attacks, collecting cash donations in fire boots at locations across the city for the families of fallen New York firefighters. The fundraiser was promoted in newspapers and on radio.

Firefighters collected donations at gas stations, malls and roadside locations. Stewart said residents gave $5, $10, $20, $50 and $100 bills, and the boots repeatedly had to be emptied over the 12-hour campaign. An armed police escort was needed when the cash was taken to a local credit union for counting.

Stewart was among the members who flew to New York City to deliver a cheque to the New York City Fire Department. The department first took the group to Ground Zero, where Stewart said the scale of the vacant site where the Twin Towers had stood was emotional.

The solidarity between the departments also led to Vancouver receiving a T-shirt from Vancouver Fire Rescue Services that had been recovered from the rubble. The shirt is believed to have been worn by a first responder killed in the attacks.

Stewart said firefighters commonly exchange patches or T-shirts while travelling, reflecting a sense of mutual respect and fellowship. New York firefighters decided the shirt should return to Vancouver and contacted the local union to arrange its transport.

Stewart said he hopes people remember to come together in times of tragedy, as they did in the weeks after the attacks.