Orlando Fire Department hosts candlelight ceremony in honor of first responders killed on 9/11
Inside Fire Station 1 in downtown Orlando they were set up for their annual 9/11 Remembrance and Candlelight Ceremony.
At the front of the room on some tiered shelves were hundreds of candles.
343 candles were red, representing each of the FDNY firefighters who lost their lives, 60 were black representing the police officers killed, and there was one white candle for a chaplain who was killed.
The Orlando Fire Department is one of the last in Central Florida that still holds this type of remembrance ceremony faithfully every year.
WESH 2 asked fire chiefs why it is so important to them to continue this annual reflection.
"As time goes on, a lot of times memories fade, feelings pass and things are forgotten. It's a vow that we made to friends and family that we know and knew that were working for FDNY on September 11th that we would never forget, and a way to never forget is to continue the memorial," Chief Creed McClelland said.
McClelland and some other members of the Orlando Fire Department traveled to New York City to help the day after Sept. 11.
They hope that Sunday's remembrance reminds people of the sacrifice first responders make to keep all of us safe.
The ceremony starts at 7 p.m. Sunday.