My trip to Engine 54
Saturday, September  27, 2003

Firehouse - Engine 54, Battalion 9, Ladder 4

“This plaque in honor of your Fallen Brothers and our Fallen Heroes”


This is what the plaque reads as you first enter the firehouse in Engine 54.   The plaque is on a wooden wall that  is a dedication to the 15 firefighters who perished on 9/11

It was a humid & hot Saturday afternoon when we visited Engine 54.  This is probably going to be the last hot day we have before the cold hits.  I thought about about how Sept 11, 2001 was a beautiful day like today, except it was less humid.  A fire truck was pulled outside the house and a few firefighters were standing there talking.  I looked at them and wondered how their lives have changed over the past 2 years.   It is well-known that the firefighters are a close-knit group. Of course, it makes sense.  They must develop a special bond since they work together in such close quarters and dangerous circumstances.  On Sept 11, those men lost 15 of their brothers.   I felt a bit sad as I watched them hang out near the firetruck and joke around with each other. 

When you first enter the Engine 54, on the left hand wall, there is a dedication to the fallen firefighters who perished on 9/11.  On the wooden wall, there are pictures of 15 firefirghters who died that day. The conversation with Lt Jackson confirmed that many firefighters had perished in the Marriott hotel.

I waited a few minutes before Lt Jackson came out.In the minutes I was waiting, I looked around the station.  It was a pretty small place, looked like it was about only 2-3 times the size of my 2 car garage at home.  I looked at the wall on the left.  There was a wooden wall dedicated to the group of firefighters who died.  It was located between the room where Lt Jackson was and the bathroom.  While I waited for Lt Jackson, I took a few pictures of the dedication.  It wasn’t until after I snapped the pictures did Bill point out the yellow note on the left corner which said “No pictures”


Lt Jackson was a tall man, over 6’2”.  He was very nice and well-spoken.  I introduced myself   I told him I was a friend of the family of firefighter who perished on Sept 11. he showed us the dry-erase whiteboard which showed which firefighters were on call that day.  On the left, above the current board, was the board from Sept 11, 2001. 


He told us this was exactly how they left it. They put plexiglass on it to preserve it. The other board to the right of the eagle was the previous day’s board – Sept 10.  Lt Jackson told us the story how they Sept 10th board had to be re-written because an officer had erased it accidentally.  The officer didn’t know and when he found out what he did, he started crying.  I looked again and I could tell because all the names were written neatly in the same handwriting. When he talked about the Sept 10th board, he mentioned that one of the firefighters, Brennan also worked on Sept 11 even though he wasn’t supposed to be working that day.  According to Jackson, FF Brennan radioed in; the North Tower collapsed and he was never heard from.


This is how the wall looked like. The whiteboard from Sept 11 is the left picture. The whiteboard on the right is from Sept 10.

   

He said he hasn’t read the FEMA doc but he knows firefighters died in the Marriott - all 6 of his guys died in the Marriott. He showed us the red sign from the firetruck they had salvaged from Ground Zero.The sign was hanging from the ceiling in front of the bay and it said “Ladder 54” It was a long sign – more than 8-12 feet wide. The sign was bent and faded from the destruction. He brought us over to the wall next to the fire suites, opposite the dedication. There was another plaque/memorial with a marble base. Jackson remarked how the base was built by a firefighter so it would look nice.The marble based was created on an incline, this he said, was a way to prevent people from sitting on it.


Lt Jackson told us a story about how a survivor had no where to go but the Hudson river.He talked about how some of the barges from NJ were taking people from Manhattan. While we were outside, I looked down at the artwork that painted on the sidewalk.I commented to Jackson “this is the art that a firefighter had painted” He confirmed and noted that he was quite an artist. They closed the door.The door had a colorful picture with the engine’s logo

“Pride of Midtown. Engine 54 FDNY.Never Missed a Performance”

There was a bronze plaque of firefighers outside. Inscribed underneath, it said “Dedicated to the Memory of the courageous Officers and Firefighters of BATTALION 9 who made the Supreme Sacrifice on 9/11/01 that others may live”

After departing from the Engine, we walked around to find the large bronze sculpture of the firefighter kneeling down.  It wasn’t on 46th and 8th so we walked to 44th and 8th and there was no statue.  I went into a tourist store and the guy said “the statue left”  It was a funny statement as I imagine the statue getting up and walking around.  I asked a guy at Starbucks if he knew where the statue was and he said it used to be on the corner but now it’s gone.