Fire Truck Lowered Into 9/11 Memorial Space

On Wednesday, a crane lowered FDNY truck 70 feet down into the memorial space, located where the twin towers had once stood.

MEMORIAL: A fire truck from Ladder Co. 3 draped in flags is lowered into the 9/11 Memorial and Museum in Lower Manhattan on Wednesday. It will part of the museum's collection to commemorate the 11 firefighters from Ladder Co. 3 who died helping to rescue people from the WTC north tower on 9/11. Associated Press

NEW YORK—On Sept. 11, 2001, firefighters from FDNY Ladder Company 3 rushed to the World Trade Center site of the terrorist attacks and extended their truck’s ladder to people trapped in the North Tower, saving many lives. All 11 firefighters from the company who went to the site that morning died in the heroic effort.

Its rungs once held by many grateful and panicked hands, the ladder—and the story it tells—will live on at the National September 11 Memorial Museum, along with the beaten and damaged truck. The museum will open on Sept. 12 in honor of the decennial anniversary of the tragedy, but will not open permanently until next year.

On Wednesday, a crane lowered the truck 70 feet down into the memorial space, located where the twin towers had once stood. The 60,000-pound cargo was surrounded by families and friends of Ladder Company 3 members who had lost their lives during the rescue.

“Their names, along with the other courageous first responders who perished, will be permanently etched in bronze on the memorial, and their truck will be preserved in the museum as a legacy of their heroism,” said Mayor Michael Bloomberg at the ceremony, according to a 9/11 Memorial press release.

Firefighters in Ladder Company 3 hold a prestigious post, many of them with decades of service under their belts.

Led by their chief Patrick “Paddy” Brown, the members of the company boarded their truck on Sept. 11, 2001, eager to come to the rescue. Their rig sustained considerable damage: The front cab was torn from the main body during the collapse of the towers, and some of the firefighters’ tools remain embedded in the mangled vehicle.

Carolyn Brown, 47, whose brother “Paddy” had led Ladder Company 3 in the rescue effort, was at the ceremony. She told The Associated Press that seeing the damage wrought on the fire truck will help people emotionally connect to what had happened that tragic day.

“When they see that, it’s going to mean more. They will see it and feel it,” Brown said.

An FDNY ambulance that came to the rescue alongside the truck will be part of the exhibit as well. The “Last Column”—the last fallen steel beam removed from the World Trade Center site—will also be on display.

Those who wish to reflect on the day that changed so many lives will be able to walk around the reflecting pools, which were built in the footprints of the towers and are part of the memorial museum.