Yuba City Fire Capt. Martin Zavala, left, explains the fire service tradition of ringing bells for fallen firefighters during the Sept. 11 remembrance ceremony at Yuba City Firehouse No. 1. The ceremony included a bell tribute honoring the 343 FDNY firefighters killed on Sept. 11, 2001.

YUBA CITY, CA (MPG) - Metal hooks on loose halyards clanged lightly against the flagpole in the morning wind, making a somber, bell-like sound as people gathered outside Yuba City Firehouse No. 1 Friday for the city’s annual Sept. 11 remembrance ceremony.

Promptly at 10 a.m., Yuba City Mayor and retired Fire Chief Marc Boomgaarden made his way to the podium.

“I had some prepared notes, but I thought that I’d probably just speak from the heart a bit today,” Boomgaarden said. “On September 10th, of 2001, the City Fire Department merged with the Walton Fire Protection District and that was a pretty momentous day for this department. But boy, was that going to be overshadowed by the next day, which was September 11th.”

Members of the Yuba City Fire Department color guard take part in the city’s 25th anniversary Sept. 11 remembrance ceremony at Yuba City Firehouse No. 1.

Boomgaarden recalled waking the following morning to the realization that something tragic was unfolding across the country. As part of the state and federal emergency response system, Yuba City firefighters were placed on standby, prepared to deploy if needed.

“We were on standby for several weeks,” Boomgaarden said.

While the department was never called to Ground Zero, he said the loss was felt deeply throughout the fire service.

Community members and first responders gather beneath the American flag during Yuba City’s 25th anniversary Sept. 11 remembrance ceremony at Yuba City Firehouse No. 1.

Twenty-five years later, firefighters, first responders and community members gathered again to remember those lost and those who responded. Following an invocation, moment of silence and bagpipe tribute, Yuba City Fire Chief Josh Hubbard took the podium.

“We gather because we made a promise, and that promise must be upheld: the promise that we would never forget,” Hubbard said. “But never forget means more than two words spoken in September. It’s a responsibility.”

Hubbard remembered the 2,977 people killed in the attacks, including passengers and crews aboard the four hijacked planes, those killed at the World Trade Center and Pentagon, and first responders. For firefighters, Hubbard said, one number carries particular weight: 343, the number of FDNY firefighters who died on Sept. 11.

Yuba City Mayor and retired Fire Chief Marc Boomgaarden addresses the crowd during the city’s Sept. 11 remembrance ceremony at Yuba City Firehouse No. 1.

“I don’t want us to think of 343 simply as a number, because numbers are far too easy for us to say,” Hubbard said. “These were 343 individual lives, stories and families.”

He described firefighters climbing stairwells opposite people trying to escape, carrying tools, hose and rescue equipment toward those trapped above.

“They continued because somewhere above them, someone they had never met needed their help,” he said.

Rather than speak only in numbers, Hubbard shared the stories of seven FDNY members: Capt. Patrick Brown, Firefighter Andrew Frederick, Deputy Chief Raymond Downey, Chief of Department Peter Ganci, Firefighter Joseph Angelini Sr., Capt. Terry Hatton and Firefighter Sean Hanley. He used their legacies to illustrate courage, mentorship, preparation, leadership and service.

“There are 343 stories I wish I had time to tell you today,” Hubbard said. “But I believe one of our obligations to never forget is to occasionally stop looking at numbers and to start learning names.”

Yuba City firefighters raise the American flag during the city’s Sept. 11 remembrance ceremony at Yuba City Firehouse No. 1.

Of the seven, Hanley, of Ladder Company 20, appeared especially personal. Hubbard paused to regain his composure before explaining that he had the honor of carrying Hanley’s name during a memorial ceremony several years ago. Wanting to know more about the man behind the name, Hubbard began researching his life.

Hanley came from a firefighter family. Both grandfathers, his father and his brother were firefighters. On Sept. 11, Hanley had already finished his shift and could have gone home. Instead, after learning the World Trade Center was burning, he returned, grabbed his gear and went to the towers.

“He went back, and he did not come home,” Hubbard said.

Just months ago, Hubbard visited Ladder 20 in New York, where he saw Hanley’s name and photographs and met firefighters who continue to honor his memory. Seeing how much Hanley still means to a crew that never worked with him, Hubbard said, was “one of the coolest experiences of my life.”

Yuba City firefighters salute during the city’s 25th anniversary Sept. 11 remembrance ceremony at Yuba City Firehouse No. 1.

The ceremony also included the posting of colors and a traditional fire service bell tribute. Yuba City Fire Capt. Martin Zavala explained that before modern dispatch systems, firehouses used coded bell signals to communicate alarms. The signal 5-5-5-5, Zavala said, was sounded when a firefighter died in the line of duty. A bell was then sounded in honor of the 343 FDNY firefighters killed on Sept. 11.

Closing the ceremony, Boomgaarden thanked first responders, organizers and community members, saying the turnout was the largest he had seen in more than two decades of the annual remembrance.

“For those who are serving as first responders, no matter what the profession, please stay safe,” Boomgaarden said. “Please know that we honor and we respect and we certainly value your service to your communities.”