Johnston felt this same sense of community from the crowds. "Especially for me, sharing their experiences of that day all this time later is just a way to remember and keep the memory alive." "Being in the department that I'm in, many of the guys a couple years older than me, they were there that day or they know somebody who lost somebody," she added. Johnston's fellow firefighters connect her to the past and the present, she said. "Our fire department had a lot of volunteers come and go, and it's something to continue to keep the fire department engaged with the traditions of the community, with what 9/11 means to a lot of people," he said. The Tunnel to Towers race "is part of a community tradition," Westchester firefighter Roberto Gordillo said Sunday. That connection is one of the pillars of being a firefighter, members of various departments across the country agreed. But Johnston, one the runners on Sunday, said she was reminded of "the gravity of the original situation - where Steven Siller ran through the tunnel without even thinking about it in his gear with an air pack, all kinds of stuff, and he just did what needed to be done."Īs a volunteer first responder since 2013, as both an EMT and a firefighter, Johnston said she has an acute sense of community. Running in 60 pounds of firefighter gear is a physical challenge. On Sunday, volunteer firefighter Erica Johnston was one of the runners in her own first-responder gear - pants, jackets, suspenders and helmet - in tribute to Siller and the other victims. He worked to save others in the aftermath of the attacks but died at the scene. It was closed but Siller was determined, so he walked the rest of the way to the towers. He turned around, grabbed his gear and drove his truck to the entrance of the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel. Siller, with Brooklyn Squad 1, learned the north tower of the World Trade Center complex had been hit by a plane just after he finished his shift.
#Tunnel to towers full
The annual event honors fallen Brooklyn firefighter Stephen Siller who, while dressed in his full gear, ran through the Brooklyn Battery Park tunnel to Ground Zero on Sept. The Tunnel to Towers Foundation is dedicated to honoring the sacrifice of FDNY Firefighter Stephen Siller, who laid down his life to save others on September 11, 2001. Every year on the third Sunday of September, hundreds of runners gather in an IKEA parking lot in Brooklyn, right at the entrance to the Brooklyn Battery Park tunnel, ready to run 3.2 miles into Manhattan for the Tunnel to Towers 5K - commemorating 9/11.
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