ROCKLAND, Maine — The Rockland Fire Department’s Sept. 11 memorial had an addition this year for the 15th anniversary, a piece of steel from the World Trade Center towers.
And the former New York City deputy fire commissioner, who donated the steel, spoke at the 15th anniversary ceremony of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the United States held Sunday morning outside the Rockland fire station.
Former Deputy Commissioner Lynn Tierney, now a Rockland resident, recounted the events of that day to the 75 people who had gathered at the ceremony Sunday. Tierney’s job with the Fire Department was soon to end since she was an appointee of New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and his term was set to expire later that year. She said she was getting ready for a job interview at the World Trade Center when the first plane struck one of the twin towers. She immediately headed off to the site in her role with the Fire Department.
She and some fire crews got held up in traffic in one of the tunnels in New York City. The firefighters huddled around her car to listen to the car radio to keep abreast of what was transpiring at the World Trade Center. The tunnels were finally cleared for emergency vehicles and she and the firefighters were able to get to work.
Tierney said she was there when the first tower collapsed, narrowly escaping into a nearby loading dock. Of the 15 firefighters, who she had been with in the tunnels, they died in the collapse of the tower.
She said the piece of steel from one of the pair of 110-story buildings is a beautiful and respectful way to honor those who died.
Tierney said she wanted to donate the piece of steel to Rockland because it is now her Fire Department, since she is a city resident here.
Rockland firefighters and businesses volunteered to include that steel into the memorial first erected in 2012 by firefighters with two concrete replicas of the tower with a badge and bell of the New York Fire Department.
Rockland firefighter Carl Anderson recalled in his Sunday speech the sacrifices of the 343 New York City firefighters, 60 police officers, eight emergency medical technicians, and more than 1,400 other citizens who died.
“That was one of our darkest nights,” Anderson said.