A twisted, rusty piece of steel is sitting in the Haddon Fire Company №1 station. On the surface, it is an unattractive chunk of metal, but it acts as a memorial for the lives lost during the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
Four members of Haddon Fire Company №1 set out to New York on Wednesday, July 17, to transport the steel that was once a part of the World Trade Center. The plan is to mount the steel outside for all to see, reflecting on the tragic loss of 2,996 civilians and first responders.
“Ever since that day, we have been trying to do something to memorialize the lives lost. It’s our way of showing that through the fire department and the borough,” Butch Brees, president of the Haddon Fire Company, said.
According to Brees, 13,000 pieces were awarded to various companies through the U.S. He said the Cherry Hill Fire Department acquired a piece of steel and aided the Haddon Fire Company in the process.
The company waited six to eight months before receiving a phone call for a transfer approval from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and finally picked it up from John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens, N.Y.
“It’s a very careful process they go through in the scenario of retrieving an artifact from the World Trade Center,” Brees said.
The steel will eventually be placed to the left of the emergency vehicle entrance on a brick pedestal. A bronze plaque will be included as part of the memorial. But it might be a short while until the project starts to take form. Brees said the borough must approve the project before moving forward.
“Ideally, it would be ready for Sept. 11. It’s a possibility but we can’t be sure yet,” fire chief Joe Riggs said, adding he would like to see a reveal ceremony on Sept. 11 or fire prevention night.
In the meantime, the steel will remain on display in the firehouse, Brees said.
“We got it at the right time. We wanted to do this for awhile,” former assistant chief and volunteer Will Schaub said, adding this might be the last year for anyone to receive an artifact.
Schaub was one of the four who went to transport the steel. It wasn’t the first time he went to New York on a World Trade Center related expedition.
At the time of the attack, Schaub was working at Virtua Health System as a paramedic supervisor.
“It’s kind of ironic because on that day they had a disaster drill planned in Camden. We had two extra units come in and all of this went down at 9 a.m. We ended up keeping the two crews, sent a five-truck contingent to New York and staged in the Meadowlands. We were expecting a lot of injuries and we had nothing,” he said.
Schaub remembered the smoke, ash and those who were safely huddled in the stadium.
He said adding the artifact to the firehouse not only adds to the history of Haddonfield, it will serve as a constant reminder for all who pass by and remember, especially Haddonfield’s first responders. Commissioner Neal Rochford said the children were not born to witness Sept. 11, 2001.
“That will be perfect for their parents to tell them about the tragedy that happened that day, bringing our nation together,” Rochford said.
“It’s going to be a constant reminder of the risks that fire fighters take. A constant reminder in a memorial of those that passed that day,” Riggs said.
