SALT LAKE CITY — Four fire trucks and an ambulance responded to Brighton Gardens Assisted Living Center on Saturday, but it wasn't for an emergency. The paramedics and firefighters were treated by staff and residents to a barbecue in honor of the heroes of Sept. 11.
"Each community has their own local heroes," said Faye Keller, director of community relations for the center. "We want to show our appreciation for them."
Keller anticipated about 70 men and women would attend the outdoor gathering, some of whom have provided emergency assistance to residents at the facility.
"When our residents have illnesses, the firemen, the paramedics, the EMTs, they all come," Keller said.
Dave Dixon, captain of Station No. 5, in Salt Lake City, was one of the firefighters from Utah who made up Utah Tax Force One, which traveled to New York City about a week after Sept. 11, 2001, to assist in search and rescue.
"People can't comprehend the size (of the destruction)" Dixon said. "It was just huge."
Dixon and his men tunneled down to the subways beneath the debris to look for survivors, but didn't find any.
Alice Bedell, a resident of Brighton Gardens originally from Albany, N.Y., thanked the men gathered Saturday for their generosity and hard work.
"Fellas, I want to thank you for all the times you've come when you're called," she said. "We love to see you."
Whether someone at the center burns toast, or there's a serious medical emergency, the firefighters are always reliable, Bedell said.
Captain Michael Tucker from Salt Lake's Station No. 1 said it's great to be remembered and looked after, and he appreciates the generosity shown by citizens throughout the state. After Sept. 11, people seemed to desire to share their appreciation for the efforts of so many in New York by supporting their local public servants, he said. It's not uncommon for Tucker and his men to have their dinner paid for by strangers at restaurants, or their groceries covered by people in the line in front of them at the store.
"They take good care of us," he said.
Events like the barbecue Saturday show that people still think about the historic and tragic day nine years ago, and Tucker hopes they'll continue to remember.
"Time has a way of making things not seem so drastic," he said. "This was terrible. … They had more firefighters die than (are in) our whole department."
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