A Living Tribute to the FDNY

When the was constructed in the summer of 2002, they made a point to pay a constant, living tribute to the 343 firefighters who were lost on September 11th.

From their gear to their vehicles, the FDMT mirrors the FDNY in an incredible way.

"Many members of our department—both past and present—were either members of the FDNY or have since retired," said Christopher Mann, Fire Chief of the FDMT.  "These members lost close personal friends and family. Many of our instructors were or are from the FDNY and with the growing bond of the fire service, they became family."

Scott Redilla, a Charter member of the FDMT and former Assistant Chief, wrote an essay in July of 2003 explaining why the department chose to do what they did, and why it was important.

To honor both our local members of the FDMT, and the 343 fallen firefighters lost on September 11th, Montgomeryville-Lansdale Patch has decided to post the essay in its entirety below.

Is that a New York City Fire Truck in Montgomery Township?

Thanks for noticing. The resemblance between our FDMT apparatus and those from FDNY in New York City is amazing and not at all an accident. In fact, our turnout gear is the same type worn by FNDY Firefighters and even our Department’s name is very similar.

Like most fire departments and fire fighters across this country, both paid and volunteer, the events of September 11th had a profound affect on our lives. Many of us knew FDNY members that died on that terrible day. These people were our instructors, our mentors, our brothers in the fire service, and our friends. They were heroes who unselfishly gave their lives so that numerous others could live.

During the formation of our new department in the late summer of 2002, we had a lot of plans and decisions to make in a very short time. How were we going to set up the organization, what equipment would we buy with our limited funds, how would we best protect our members and the public we serve? The task was a daunting one, which required a lot of hard work and dedication from everyone involved. During this period of building our new department, the memory of our fallen brothers from FDNY was always with us.

They have been frequently honored with ceremonies, speeches, and silent prayers. There is hardly a firehouse in this country without some type of memorial to these heroes. Plaques, banners, monuments, and signs on fire truck windows are just some of the ways that they are remembered. We quickly saw that we had a rare opportunity to honor these heroes in our own way with a living and breathing memorial to their heroism. Our 32 charter members were officially sworn in on the first anniversary of September 11th at a solemn ceremony honoring those that gave their lives just a year earlier. Thus, the not yet operating Montgomery Township Fire Department became FDMT, the Fire Department of Montgomery Township.

We had to purchase new turnout gear to outfit and protect our members so we choose what we feel is the best in the industry, the same gear worn by FDNY. Our trucks needed to be stripped and lettered, and the vinyl triple stripe used by FDNY is thousands of
dollars less per truck than the gold leaf traditionally used on many fire trucks. It also affords great visibility both day and night. These factors helped us to keep our costs in line, create an identity for our new department, and also honor our fallen heroes.

Every time we don our turnout gear and climb aboard the truck, we are proud of what we have accomplished and we feel like our brothers are riding along with us and watching over us. You may see us beaming from ear to ear when someone says “Hey New York”, or “There goes the sixth borough”, not because we are trying to be like FDNY, but because for that brief moment in time we know our small gesture to honor our fallen heroes has succeeded. So the next time you see our trucks driving through the streets of Montgomery Township with their triple stripe and American flags furling behind in the breeze, please take a moment to pause and remember our heroic FDNY brothers.

Written by Scott Redilla on 7/8/03