A solemn ceremony was held in London Friday to honour fallen firefighters and those who lost their lives 25 years ago on 9/11. The ceremonial ‘3 bells’ rang out as the firefighters last alarm. It was in honour of the 49 London firefighters who gave their lives in service to their community. This year, two more names were added to the London firefighter memorial. The families of Cpt. Dennis McCallum and Cpt. Douglas Perryman were presented with medals for their sacrifice. “It means a lot to us, at the dedication, and honouring the ones that fell in 9/11, as well as my dad’s honour. He passed away earlier this year,” said Niki Bowyer, daughter of Cpt. Douglas Perryman. “Oh. I can’t explain it. Fantastic. Great. I just wish he was here to enjoy it,” said Helen McCallum, the widow of Cpt. Dennis McCallum, who passed away in 2007. A couple hundred first responders took part in the gathering at London Fire Dept. Memorial Headquarters on Horton Street, including area police and ambulance services, as well as military personnel. Dignitaries and civic leaders of all political colours were also on hand. They were remembering the 343 first responders and the thousands of citizens who lost their lives on 9/11. “I think about the bravery and the heroism that every firefighter and every first line responder exhibits on behalf of every person in our city,” said London Mayor Josh Morgan. LPFFA President, Jason Timlick says while most on the job that day 25 years ago would have retired by now, those still active with the London Professional Firefighters Assn. remember it well. First responders of all stripes were on high alert, ready to serve. “I’ll never forget the captain saying, ‘okay guys, we’re just going to do this all day.’ And we sat there and watched, barring alarms, to going out to do our duty. And it was horrific and unreal all at the same time,” Timlick said. LPFFA secretary Randy Evans explained some London firefighters were mobilizing, trying to get to New York to help. A dozen local firefighters were preparing to fly down by helicopter, but the border and air space had been shut down. “And so, all we did was, we turned our attention to serving our own community. Putting Canadian flags, American flags on our trucks, and really embracing that,” Evans said.
