NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – During a special ceremony honoring current first responders and those who served during 9/11, the “Spirit of Louisiana” fire truck was on display at the International House Hotel in New Orleans.
While Louisiana is part of the fire truck’s name, its history begins with the 2001 terrorist attacks in New York City.
“Shortly after the planes hit the towers, like everybody, I wanted to do something. I wanted to reach out and try to do something for the citizens of New York,” said Chris Ferrara, founder of US Fire Pump in Holden, Louisiana.
In 2001, Ferrara owned Ferrara Fire Apparatus, a company that built fire trucks and related equipment.
Ferrara says the New York City Fire Department had just lost about 100 trucks. Through a statewide effort that included then-Gov. Mike Foster, other politicians and everyday Louisianians, Ferrara says $1 million was raised to build and deliver a fire truck to the FDNY. Ferrara says it typically took more than a year to produce a new fire truck that met New York City specifications. The “Spirit of Louisiana,” Ferrara says, was built in less than 40 days.
“That was Louisiana’s best that was coming out. I mean, everybody bought in. A lot of my workers worked 24 hours a day; they donated their time. We had a lot of vendors that donated equipment that went on to the truck. And New York needed that fire truck. They put it in service right away, and they used that truck some 4-5 years,” said Ferrara.
In 2005, after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and its fire department, Ferrara says the gift meant for New York City returned to its sender.
“So, they actually sent 300 firemen from the City of New York, along with a caravan of fire trucks. And the truck that was leading the parade so to speak, was the ‘Spirit of Louisiana’ heading back to Louisiana,” said Ferrara.
“When Hurricane Katrina happened, the same people that we met at Rescue 1 showed up to help us out,” said Captain David Nick of the New Orleans Fire Department.
Twenty-five years ago, Nick and four other New Orleans firefighters traveled to New York City after 9/11, looking to assist the FDNY. Nick says they were told the best way they could help was to attend the funerals of some of the 343 New York City firefighters killed in the 9/11 attacks.
“What was it like? Well, we felt out of place and as soon as they saw where we were from, they welcomed us. Their families came and talked to us; they told us who this person was. I just couldn’t imagine, you know, how lucky are we? 343 guys, that’s hard to imagine,” said Nick holding back tears.
At the time, Nick was in his ninth year with the New Orleans Fire Department. Now, he is a captain and is nearing retirement, but he says the relationships he made all those years ago remain strong. On the 25th anniversary of 9/11, the “Spirit of Louisiana” served as a visible reminder of those bonds.
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