Crime & Safety

Steel From the Twin Towers Coming to Lakewood

Wreckage to be used as part of a permanent memorial marking the four Lakewood firefighters who died in the line of duty — along with the 344 firefighters who died on 9/11.

This morning, seven Lakewood firefighters left the city on a mission.

Three of them on motorcycles and the other four in a tractor-trailer, they are headed for New York City to bring home steel from the wreckage of the World Trade Center.

Work is set to begin on a new memorial honoring those who died fighting fires in Lakewood — as well as the 344 firefighters who died on 9/11.

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However, final designs for the memorial will not be completed until the firefighters return with the steel. City and fire officials have chosen the spot of the current memorial at as the location for the new memorial. 

The project — spearheaded by Fire Marshal Tim Dunphy — was approved after a lengthy and rigorous application process.

Find out what's happening in Lakewoodwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“We want to honor the 344 firefighters who were killed (on 9/11),” Lakewood Fire Chief Scott Gilman said. “And to honor the four firefighters who died in the line of duty (in Lakewood).”

“I wish I was going to New York City with those guys,” he added. “It’s really something.”

A small ceremony is slated for Friday when the firefighters return with the precious cargo. An official dedication is planned in September to coincide with the 10th anniversary of the attacks on 9/11.

Mayor Michael Summers praised the work of Dunphy for organizing the project.

“We’ll be able to touch, visit and reflect on what this memorial means,” he said. “That’s really emotional.”


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