Never Forget
Photo by Jefferson Township Fire Company #2Jefferson Township Fire Company #2 displays the American flag from its aerial ladder in remembrance of the lives lost on September 11, 2001. The company joined fire departments and communities across the nation in observing the 25th anniversary of the attacks and honoring the 343 FDNY firefighters, 37 Port Authority Police officers, 23 NYPD officers and other first responders who made the ultimate sacrifice.
Photo by Chatham Borough Volunteer Fire DepartmentMembers of the Chatham Borough Volunteer Fire Department joined first responders and community members for the borough’s annual September 11 remembrance ceremony. Held at the September 11 Memorial in Memorial Park, the ceremony marked 25 years since the attacks and remembered the thousands who were lost, including 13 Chatham residents.
Photo by North Plainfield Professional FirefightersMembers of North Plainfield Professional Firefighters gathered to commemorate the 25th anniversary of September 11, 2001. Firefighters participated in a silent procession and memorial service honoring those who lost their lives in the attacks, as well as the responders who have suffered from 9/11-related illnesses in the years since.
Photo by North Branch Volunteer Fire CompanyMembers of the North Branch Volunteer Fire Company take part in a September 11 remembrance ceremony marking the 25th anniversary of the attacks. The observance included a wreath-laying at a piece of World Trade Center steel displayed outside the firehouse, providing a lasting memorial to those who were lost and the emergency responders who answered the call.
Photo by Kingston Volunteer Fire Company #1 Kingston Volunteer Fire Company #1 joined fellow South Brunswick first responders, veterans, residents and local officials at the township’s Remembrance Fountain for a ceremony marking the 25th anniversary of September 11. The service included a reading of names, wreath-laying, Honor Guard procession, bagpipes and a moment of silence. Four South Brunswick residents who lost their lives in the attacks were remembered by name.
Photo by Pennsville Fire & Rescue Company No. 1 Pennsville Fire & Rescue Company No. 1 Ladder 5 and Reliance Fire Company Ladder 12 raise a large American flag during a September 11 memorial service at Salem County Vo-Tech. Fire and EMS personnel gathered to mark the 25th anniversary and honor the firefighters, police officers, EMS personnel and civilians who lost their lives in the attacks.
Photo by Berlin Fire Company No. 1A member of the Berlin Fire Company No. 1 Honor Guard participates in the Gibbsboro American Legion Post 371 annual 9/11 Recognition and Remembrance Ceremony. Berlin’s Honor Guard joined veterans, fellow first responders and community members to mark the 25th anniversary of the attacks and honor those who were lost. The Honor Guard concluded the evening by respectfully retiring the nation’s colors.
25 Years Later: New Jersey’s Fire Service Will Never Forget
Across the Garden State, firefighters and their communities mark the 25th anniversary of September 11, 2001
Twenty-five years have passed since the morning of September 11, 2001, but for America’s fire and emergency-services community, the promise made in the aftermath remains as important today as it was then: Never Forget.
On September 11, 2026, fire departments across New Jersey joined communities throughout the nation in marking a quarter-century since the terrorist attacks that forever changed America and the fire service.
At firehouses, municipal buildings and community memorials across the Garden State, American flags were raised from aerial ladders, honor guards stood at attention, wreaths were placed, bells were sounded and moments of silence were observed. Firefighters stood alongside police officers, EMS personnel, veterans, public officials and residents to remember the nearly 3,000 people who lost their lives that day and the many more whose lives were forever changed.
For the fire service, September 11 carries a particularly profound meaning. The FDNY lost 343 members at the World Trade Center—the greatest single loss of life in the department’s history. Twenty-three members of the NYPD and 37 members of the Port Authority Police Department were also among the first responders who made the ultimate sacrifice.
A quarter-century also means that an entire generation of firefighters has entered the service with no personal memory of that September morning. Some of today’s newest firefighters were not yet born when the attacks occurred. That makes the fire service’s tradition of remembrance increasingly important.
Throughout New Jersey, fire departments large and small marked the 25th anniversary in their own way. Some gathered at local 9/11 memorials, while others raised the American flag from aerial ladders, participated in honor guards and processions, laid wreaths or joined their communities for solemn remembrance ceremonies.
The seven New Jersey fire departments featured on these pages represent just a small sampling of the many departments across the state that came together to honor the fallen and ensure that the events and sacrifices of September 11, 2001, are never forgotten.
Their photographs tell a story that continues throughout New Jersey’s fire service—one of remembrance, respect and a commitment to pass the meaning of September 11 on to future generations.
Twenty-five years later, “Never Forget” remains more than a phrase.
It remains a promise.
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