Providence Volunteer Fire Company in Towson on Thursday took possession of a piece of steel from the World Trade Center in New York, recovered in the aftermath of the 9/11 terror attacks, and will use the piece in a memorial garden at the station commemorating those who died in the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
Members of the company accepted the piece of recovered steel shortly at 4 p.m. on Thursday afternoon, according to Lt. Dean Denning, a member of the Providence VFC.
“The steel will be placed in a memorial garden at the rear of the station in [close proximity] to the community room/class room, where all members of the community can view [it]”, he said.
Denning said there will be a formal dedication of the steel — and the station's new $750,000 hook and ladder truck — on the 10th anniversary of the terror attacks this Sept. 11.
The piece of steel is roughly 10 feet long and weighs about 500 pounds. It arrived at the fire house Thursday on a flatbed truck driven from JFK Airport, courtesy of Joppa-based Wirtz and Daughters Garden Center.
Providence VFC President Philip Darr and Vice President Garry Zour drove to New York last night and accompanied the steel to Baltimore County, Denning said. Once the truck crossed the Maryland line on Interstate-95 Thursday afternoon, the truck was escorted by the Maryland Chapter of the Patriot guard, he said.
And, from Harford County to Baltimore County, the convoy was joined by all units from Providence VFC, plus another unit from the Baltimore County Fire Department — and escorted to the Cromwell Bridge park and ride.
The granting of the piece to the local fire station was the result of a year-long application process that began last year with an affidavit sent to the Newark, N.J. Port Authority. The awarding of a recovered piece of the World Trade Center came with several requirements, including one that the steel could not be used for profit, and another that stipulated that it had to be part of a memorial, Denning said.
Providence VFC is one of a few fire companies in Maryland to receive a piece of the steel.
Denning said Anne Arundel County’s main firehouse in Millersville also received a piece of the steel, and Baltimore City may receive one for its training academy on Pulaski Highway.
“I believe that we are very, very fortunate to be awarded this piece of history," Denning said. "Our hope is that … [it] will be appreciated by the community and future generations, so that what happened that day will never be forgotten."
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