FRIDAY FORUM: September 11 25th Anniversary, Part 1 - Still Riding

Still Riding.

Last week we opened a class on Roof Rope Rescue (a technique created and perfected by the FDNY) by asking students what if any exposure they had to the procedure. “Nothing, other than watching ‘Still Riding,’” one student replied.  Everyone in the class laughed, both young firefighters who might not have been born on 9/11, and older firefighters, some from North Jersey who may have responded to ground zero, all aware of the epic documentary and its impact on the fire service.

If you haven't seen it, "Still Riding" is a documentary on the firefighters of FDNY Rescues 1 & 2, that began filming in months prior to 9/11, and then follows the aftermath as every firefighter who responded that day on both companies was killed.  It documents the character of great men, both the professionalism before and the resiliency that followed.  To me, the title captures both those who died and those who lived, as those remaining pulled their boots back on and got back on the rig despite unfathomable tragedy, while the legacy of those lost will live on the rig forever.

25 years on, I like to think the Fire Service honors that legacy.  As a new generation is now on the job that wasn't alive that day, it is up to those who were to educate them.  And I think we have.  We can always do more, but it seems that the younger generation is eager to keep the memory, the character, and the sacrifice of those lost that day alive and well.  It gives me hope that through these efforts all of those lost are "Still Riding" today, and hopefully their spirit will always be carried forward on every rig in the American Fire Service.  

It's never appropriate to “move on” from an event like September 11th, but we keep moving forward, carrying that day to make us better, make us stronger, and make us more unified as a Nation and a Service.  May we truly never forget.  I’m proud to say after 25 years we haven't.  Let’s make sure we never do.