Ross Valley Fire Department officials observed a moment of silence Tuesday morning along with fire stations throughout the county recognize the 11th anniversary of the September 11th attacks.
Fire department personnel silently assembled around the 9/11 memorial in front of the San Anselmo fire station at 6:58 a.m. while officials gathered around flag poles in front of all the fire stations in Marin. The 9/11 memorial, which was dedicated last year, includes a section of steel recovered from the World Trade Center.
At 6:59 a.m., the time of the south tower collapse, all fire stations rang the bells 5-5-5-5 (four sets of five chimes each). The “5-5-5-5” signal is a New York Fire Department tradition and today honored the 343 New York firefighters who answered their last alarm call on September 11, 2001. The 5-5-5-5, or Tolling of the Bell, was used to signal the death of a firefighter in the line of duty before telephones and radios were used.
At 7 a.m., officials held a minute of complete silence.
MOMENT OF SILENCE WITH BELLS
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2012
- All available fire department personnel assemble at attention in front of individual fire station flag pole. (Station 19 will be at the memorial)
- Flag will be at half-staff
- Community involvement is welcome
- When assembled, maintain silence
6:59 a.m. PDT- Time of South Tower Collapse
- Comm Center will alert all fire stations and ring bells 5-5-5-5 (four sets of five chimes each)
“Signal 5-5-5-5 is a tradition deeply rooted in the history of the Fire Department of New York... These bells honor the 343 FDNY Firefighters who answered their last alarm and made the ultimate sacrifice at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001...
(5-5-5-5 Explanation…Long before telephones and radios, fire departments used the telegraph to communicate. When the handle was pulled on the once-familiar red fire alarm boxes found on nearly every street corner of America, a special code was transmitted to every fire station. When a firefighter died in the line of duty, the fire alarm office would tap out a special signal. That signal was five measured dashes, then a pause, then five measured dashes, another pause…then five more dashes. This became universally known as the Tolling of the Bell and was broadcast over all telegraph fire alarm circuits. This signal was a sign of honor and respect for all firefighters who had made the ultimate sacrifice and has become a time-honored tradition)
7:00 a.m. PDT - 1 Minute of Complete Silence
Dismissal