PHOTOS: Firefighters at the Great Jones Street firehouse in Lower Manhattan, New York, were in the midst of a shift change on Sept. 11, 2001, when terrorists attacked the World Trade Center.
By the end of the day, 10 of the 14 firefighters from the station that houses Engine Company 33 and Ladder Company 9 would be killed, and the cab of Ladder 9’s truck would be crushed by falling debris.
Nearly 25 years later, the truck Ladder 9 firefighters used to rush to the scene of the deadliest terrorist attack in U.S. history is being restored at 10-8 Emergency Vehicle Service in New Holland.
For Jon Bredbetter, a service technician at the company that sells, repairs, and customizes emergency vehicles, the work has become a passion project. The U.S. Marine Corps veteran said he was excited by the idea of helping restore a piece of history.
“That was one of the big points with this project,” said Bredbetter, who served for eight years including tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. “It’s really an adventure. When you hear some of the things that this truck has been through – you wish that it could talk, just to hear some of the stories it could tell.”
Paul Madeiros, who purchased the Ladder 9 truck along with the Engine 33 truck, aims to have them fully restored in time for a memorial Fire Department New York is holding on Sept. 9 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of 9/11, which saw 343 of the department’s firefighters die in the line of duty.
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