New York Fire Truck from 9/11 Visits Lemont

Hundreds of miles from New York and 11 years removed from the 9/11 attacks at the World Trade Center, FDNY Rescue 5 serves as a moving memorial—a tribute to the firefighters who lost their lives when the towers fell.

Rescue 5 was one of just a handful of heavy rescue apparatus to respond to the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. The Staten Island-based company lost 11 men that day; only one firefighter from the unit survived.

The truck was built in 1996, and served as a front-line rescue vehicle until 2005. It went out of service in 2011, at which point it was put up for auction by the city of New York.

Back in Illinois, a group of firefighters was ready to step in.

The Rescue Remembrance Project was founded last year after a group of firefighters from Schaumburg learned FDNY Rescue 4 was going to be scrapped. They created the nonprofit to purchase and restore the truck to use as a traveling 9/11 memorial and educational tool.

"Our goal is to educate, honor and remember the events of 9/11, as well as the fallen firefighters," said Scott Vaughn, founding member of the Rescue Remembrance Project.

The group acquired Rescue 5 late last year, and today the two trucks are the only apparatus from 9/11 operating outside New York.

"We travel all over the country, educating people about 9/11 and what the day means," Vaughn said. "We're focused particularly on kids who either weren't alive or were too young to understand when it happened."

On Wednesday, June 20, Rescue 5 traveled to in Lemont, where hundreds were gathered for the .

Wheatley died in August 2010 . The 31-year-old Lemont native was the first Chicago firefighter to die while battling a fire in more than 12 years.

Vaughn said the group was made aware of the golf outing by a friend of Wheatley's sister, Kim Skubic.

"We have a mutual friend, so we thought it would be a great event to bring the truck out, to honor both Christopher and the fallen firefighters from Rescue 5," Vaughn said.

Christopher's mom, Mary Wheatley, thanked Vaughn for attending. It was fitting, she said, as Christopher—then a paramedic—wanted to travel to New York after 9/11 to help with rescue efforts.

"We're extremely honored to have it here with us," she said. "Christopher would have loved this."

For more on the Rescue Remembrance Project, visit www.remembrance.co.

Related Stories:

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Like what you see? Sign up for our daily email newsletter.

Like us on Facebook for a slightly different take.