Twenty-four years have passed since September 11, 2001, yet the weight of that day continues to shape every aspect of the fire service. Standing at the 9/11 Memorial we are reminded of the profound responsibility we carry as guardians of public safety.
The number 343 is seared into the consciousness of every firefighter in America. Three hundred and forty-three members of the Fire Department of New York rushed toward danger. Three hundred and forty-three heroes who climbed those towers knowing the risks, driven by the sacred oath we take to protect and serve. The FDNY firefighters who entered those towers weren’t thinking about themselves—they were thinking about the people who needed help, the civilians trapped above, the fellow first responders who might need backup.
But we know the tragedy didn’t end that September morning. We remember the 343 killed on 9/11 and just as many who have died due to their illnesses since that day. The invisible wounds from toxin exposure, the cancer diagnoses, the mental health struggles—these are the ongoing costs of heroism that we continue to confront as a fire service community.
One of the most important lessons from 9/11 has been recognizing that the wounds of that day extend far beyond the physical. The mental health impacts on first responders—not just from 9/11, but from the daily accumulation of traumatic calls—represent a crisis that we’re only beginning to address with the seriousness it deserves. Our focus on behavioral health initiatives stems from understanding that we cannot truly honor the 343 if we’re not taking care of the firefighters who continue to serve today.
The Fire Service One Voice
One of my proudest achievements has been helping to create the Fire Service One Voice initiative, bringing together national organizations to speak with unity on the challenges we face collectively.
Likewise, when firefighters from across the country rushed to New York in the days following the attacks, they weren’t thinking about jurisdictional boundaries or organizational differences. They were thinking about helping their fellow firefighters, about completing the rescue and recovery missions, about supporting a fire service family in crisis. That spirit of unity, that willingness to support each other across lines and differences, is what Fire Service One Voice represents.
Looking Forward
As I reflect on my tenure as U.S. Fire Administrator and my decades in the fire service, I keep coming back to the fundamental truth that September 11th revealed: in our darkest moments, ordinary people choose to do extraordinary things. The firefighters who climbed those towers weren’t superhuman—they were public servants who made a choice to put others first.
That choice continues to be made every day by firefighters across the country and around the world. In wildfire seasons that never seem to end, in responding to climate-related emergencies, in facing the evolving threats of our modern world, today’s firefighters carry forward the same spirit that defined the FDNY’s response on 9/11.
The Promise to Never Forget
Every time I visit fire stations across the country, every time I see firefighters training or responding to calls, I’m reminded of the promise we made as a fire service community on September 11th: We Will Never Forget.
Never forget the 343 who gave their lives. Never forget the lessons we learned about preparedness, coordination, and the importance of supporting first responders. Never forget that in a world that can seem increasingly divided, the fire service represents something timeless and universal—the willingness to risk everything for the sake of others.
As we continue to face new challenges as a nation and as a fire service, I find hope in knowing that the spirit of September 11th—not the tragedy, but the response—lives on in firehouses across America. Every day, firefighters wake up ready to make the same choice the FDNY made that Tuesday morning: to run toward danger so that others might live.
That is their gift to us. Our gift to them must be ensuring they have the tools, the training, the support, and the respect they need to serve safely and return home to their families.
We will never forget. And in our remembering, we will continue to serve.
