Tribute will stand at local fire station beginning Sept. 9

The San Diego Fire Rescue Foundation (SDFRF) and San Diego Fire-Rescue Department (SDFD) will host two events in Pacific Beach to commemorate the lives and heroics of emergency first responders during the 9/11 terrorist attacks on New York City’s World Trade Center a decade ago. On Sept. 9, city leaders — including Fire Chief Javier Mainar, Police Chief William Lansdowne and District 2 City Councilman Kevin Faulconer — will unveil a 9/11 commemorative memorial at Pacific Beach Fire Station 21. SDFRF will also present special guest speaker retired FDNY Lt. Joseph Torrillo, who will tell his story of survival during the 9/11 attacks and how he was mistakenly thought to have perished in the rubble. The memorial, designed by 24-year-old Station 21 firefighter Tim Swanson, consists of a black concrete base and two polished-aluminum columns that represent the fallen towers. The columns are inscribed with the names of all the emergency first responders who died in the 9/11 attacks, and a piece of steel from the Twin Towers is incorporated into the front façade of the project. “The piece of steel was donated to the SDFD from the fire department in New York with the stipulation that it be used on a public art project. They’ve had it for a couple of years, but never quite got started on making something with it,” said Wendy Robinson, executive director of SDFRF. “We had another design that was presented and approved, but he (Swanson) felt very strongly about doing this, and he really went to bat with the project.” Swanson, a certified welder, took on the project four months ago. “I think it means a little bit more to have a firefighter do it,” he said. He enlisted the assistance of Barnhart Construction to pour the concrete base and Tara Tarrant of La Jolla Stone Etching to inscribe the names of the emergency first responders into the columns. Other materials and labor were donated by Barnhart Balfour Beatty, Industrial Metal Supply, KMA Architecture, La Jolla Stone Etching and SDG&E. The memorial is in its final stages of construction and will be implanted permanently next to the flagpole at Station 21. Following the unveiling ceremony, the SDFRF will hold a fundraising event at Firehouse, located adjacent to Station 21, to raise funds for the foundation. The free fundraiser will feature drink specials, prizes and firefighter guests. The memorial unveiling will take place at 10:30 a.m. on Sept. 9 at Fire Station 21, located at 750 Grand Ave. SDFRF’s fundraiser will take place from 5 to 8 p.m. at Firehouse, located at 722 Grand Ave. No tickets are required for either event. THE MEMORIAL The Sept. 11 memorial that will be unveiled at Station 21 in Pacific Beach on Sept. 9 consists of a black concrete base and two polished-aluminum columns that represent the fallen Twin Towers of the former World Trade Center in New York City. A piece of steel from the Twin Towers is incorporated into the front of the memorial.