The Village will hold a remembrance ceremony on Sunday, September 11th to mark the 15th anniversary of the terrorist attacks that took the lives of 2,996 people and injured over 6,000 more on September 11, 2001. A short service will be held at the Fire-Rescue facility located at 1800 Winnetka Road.

You are invited to gather at 8:30 AM to share a moment with Village staff members and residents. President Fred Gougler will speak at 8:50 AM and at 8:59 AM the station bell will toll 5-5-5 in recognition of the time the south tower fell, followed by a minute of silent remembrance.

A history of Tolling the Bell:
Long before the internet, telephones, or radios were invented, fire departments used the telegraph to communicate using special codes to receive fire alarms from once-familiar red fire alarm boxes that stood on almost every street corner across America. When a firefighter was killed (or in the language of the military and public safety, “fell”) in the line of duty, the fire alarm office would tap out a special signal. This would be tapped out as five measured dashes followed by a pause, five measured dashes, a pause, then five more measured dashes. This came to be known as the “Tolling of the Bell” and was broadcast over the telegraph alarm circuits to all fire station houses in the vicinity. It became a sign of honor and respect for all firefighters who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to their community. This symbolism has been a time-honored fire service tradition and is repeated at each service of a fallen firefighter.