Global fire services commemorated 25 years since the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks
Thank you for choosing Automatic Translation. Currently we are offering translations from English into French and German, with more translation languages to be added in the near future. Please be aware that these translations are generated by a third party AI software service. While we have found that the translations are mostly correct, they may not be perfect in every case. To ensure the information you read is correct, please refer to the original article in English. If you find an error in a translation which you would like to bring to our attention, it would help us greatly if you let us know. We can correct any text or section, once we are aware of it. Please do not hesitate to contact our webmaster to let us know of any translation errors.
During the second week of September, firefighters and first responders in several countries have marked the quarter Century Anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
Friday September 11th, 2026, fire services and other first responders held memorial ceremonies, stair climbs and other tributes, remembering the 343 members of the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY) who died in the line of duty, along with the thousands of other victims.
The attacks killed nearly 3,000 people and changed the way emergency services around the world approach terrorism, large-scale disasters, interoperability and responder health.
New York: A Day of Remembrance
In New York City, the anniversary was marked at the National September 11 Memorial with the traditional reading of the names of those killed in the attacks.
Moments of silence corresponded with key moments of the attacks, including the impacts of the four hijacked aircraft and the collapses of the World Trade Center towers. In a significant addition for the 25th anniversary, a seventh moment of silence was held to honour people who subsequently died from illnesses linked to the attacks and their aftermath.
FDNY also held a major 25th-anniversary memorial service at FerryHawks Stadium on Staten Island on September 9. Additional remembrance events took place elsewhere in the city, including at the FDNY Firefighters Memorial, the Fire Museum and individual firehouses.
The FDNY Foundation has highlighted the continuing health consequences for the department. More than 400 FDNY members who responded to the World Trade Center have died from World Trade Center-related illnesses since September 11, 2001.
Canada: Firefighters Remember the 343
The anniversary was also marked by firefighters and first responders across Canada.
In British Columbia, Canada, hundreds of first responders gathered at the Northwest 9/11 Memorial at the Peace Arch on the Canada-U.S. border. The ceremony included retired New York firefighters and police officers who had been in New York during the attacks.
In Ontario, the Oakville Fire Department held a memorial stair climb at its training campus, while firefighters and first responders in communities including Sarnia and Northumberland County also organized commemorative stair climbs and walks.
The events reflect one of the most enduring traditions to emerge from September 11: firefighters climbing stairs in full or partial gear to honour the FDNY members who climbed the World Trade Center towers on the morning of the attacks.
London Fire Brigade Marks the Anniversary
In London, the London Fire Brigade formally marked the 25th anniversary.
A delegation of London firefighters led by Deputy Commissioner Mat Walker attended a memorial service organized by Lloyd's of London in partnership with Aon and Marsh.
The London Fire Brigade has long maintained close professional links with U.S. fire services, and the anniversary provided another opportunity to remember the firefighters and other emergency responders who lost their lives while responding to the attacks.
Remembrance Overseas
The anniversary was also marked at U.S. military and emergency-service communities overseas.
At Yokosuka Naval Base in Japan, a September 11 remembrance ceremony included a ceremonial stair climbing exercise.
At Osan Air Base in South Korea, personnel also participated in a march and stair climb, followed by a ceremony that included the reading of victims' names and a firefighter's bell tribute.
Such ceremonies demonstrate how the memory of September 11 has become part of the wider international emergency-services community, extending well beyond the United States.
According to the CourierMail.com.au, from Australia, eleven Queensland firefighters rode nearly 6000km across America on motorcycles to honour the 343 New York firefighters killed on September 11, 2001.
A Global Fire-Service Legacy
The September 11 attacks had consequences far beyond the immediate response in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania.
For fire and rescue services, the disaster highlighted the challenges of operating during complex, multi-agency incidents involving large numbers of casualties, damaged communications, uncertain information and rapidly changing conditions.
The deaths of 343 FDNY members also reinforced the importance of firefighter accountability, command and control, interoperability, building information, evacuation planning and responder health.
The long-term health consequences experienced by many first responders have become another important part of the September 11 legacy. The anniversary therefore serves not only as a commemoration of those who died that day, but also as a reminder of the risks that emergency responders can face long after a major incident has ended.
Twenty-five years later, firefighters and first responders continue to remember their colleagues across borders. The memorial stair climbs, ceremonies and other tributes held in 2026 demonstrate that the legacy of September 11 remains deeply embedded in the international fire and rescue community.
Further Reading:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casualties_of_the_September_11_attacks
https://www.dvidshub.net/news/574590/25th-anniversary-9-11-memorial?
https://www.stripes.com/history/2026-09-11/911-sept-11-overseas-military-events…?
https://apnews.com/article/sept-11-trade-center-new-york-firehouse-046e32f77c5ebbc822eb015e3bb314f3
https://www.theatlantic.com/photography/2026/09/photos-911-memorials/688574/?
https://apnews.com/article/trump-sept-11-pentagon-2366fe3bb4948c068eaceb392ddbd948
https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2026/09/11/bc-border-ceremony-9-11-anniversary-first-responders/
Cover Photo above: By Coast Guard News - https://www.flickr.com/photos/coastguardnews/2846885031/, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=93918413
Photo Below in text: Wikipedia Creative Commons License
By Andrea Booher/ FEMA News Photo. Two NYPD officers at the World Trade Center site five weeks after the attacks
This image is from the FEMA Photo Library (obsolete as of 2019). An archived copy may be found at the Wayback Machine (note: link may be permanently dead, as not all photos were backed up in this way) .If the FEMA link is permanently dead, the photo can be found at NARA Access to Archival Databases (only works if photo was taken between 1989 and October 2004), or at City-data.com. (Cropped version of the original FEMA photo), Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4619418