The Coffman Team was able to attend one of the many events that took place around Las Vegas in remembrance of 9/11. Las Vegas Fire and Rescue joined fire departments across the country to honor the 343 firefighters who lost their lives eight years ago. At 6:55 am, firefighters gathered at the flagpole in front of each fire station while a set of five bell tolls was played three times over the firefighters’ communication channel.
Before radios, fire services communicated using fire alarm boxes on street
corners. When a fire alarm was pulled or dispatch needed to alert the department members of certain events, the bells at the fire stations would ring in a code telling the location of the box or the type of event. Three sets of five bell tolls told everyone in the department that a firefighter had just been lost in the line of duty.
In addition to the tolling of the bells, an American flag that once flew over the World Trade Center was flown at half-mast at Fire Station 5 on Hinson Street, where a piece of steel from the World Trade Center is also on display.