Stamford Firefighters Honor Fallen NYC Brethern

STAMFORD, Conn. – Their closeness to New York, and the sheer number of the FDNY’s losses on 9/11, have given Stamford firefighters a special feeling of closeness with their NYC brothers. Ten years later, that feeling led to the building of 8-foot-tall replicas of the Twin Towers in honor of the 343 New York firemen who died.

“There is something very deep that most employees with 9-to-5 jobs don’t get,” said Tom Gloersen, the Stamford firefighter who spearheaded the building project.

The twin replicas, handmade by the firefighters, were put in place Friday afternoon outside the Woodside Fire House and were to be lit up at a ceremony Saturday night. About 75 to 100 firefighters had a hand in creating the towers, Gloersen said.

“The more guys with their hands on it, the more it means to us,” he said in a phone interview.

Gloersen remembers going onto the roof of the firehouse on 9/11 and seeing the smoke from the towers.

“We could see it burning. There are really no words to describe it,” he said.

Stamford firefighters also feel close to the events of that day because several days afterward they went to New York to help.  They did a variety of tasks, including cleaning debris from the fallen towers. And a hazardous materials crew cleaned gear and equipment found in the rubble, Gloersen said.

What are you doing to commemorate Sept. 11? Share below or email reporter Anthony Buzzeo at tbuzzeo@TheDailyStamford.com.

 

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