With that sentiment, the Brewster Fire Department will be dedicating a 9/11 memorial which includes a piece of steel from the World Trade Center in memory of the more than 3,ooo people killed on Sept. 11, 2001.
When the World Trade Center buildings came down at the hands of terrorists on what has commonly come to be known as 9/11, firefighters from all over the country, including many from local fire departments, raced to the World Trade Center site to volunteer their help.
Last year the Brewster Fire Department lost a brother firefighter, Glenn Bisogno, from cancer associated with his work at Ground Zero. He was one of many first responders from Brewster who assisted at the World Trade Center, therefore this steel has special meaning to all at the Brewster Fire Department.
Fire Commissioner Gerald Schramek put in the request with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey for the piece of World Trade Center Steel. Since 2008, the Port Authority has released more than 1,200 steel relics from the collapsed towers for use in public memorials in all 50 states and in other countries. It took over three years, but the Brewster Fire Department was able to obtain one of the last remaining pieces.
The piece of steel was picked up last October at Kennedy Airport by Commissioner Schramek, Brewster Fire Chief Tom Leather, along with firefighters Wendy Wabshinak, Don Goodwin and Al Palancia. When the group arrived at the Putnam County line with the piece of steel, they were met with an escort from several local fire and police agencies, and a group of veterans on motorcycles. Residents waving American flags lined overpasses and streets as the motorcade proceeded to Brewster Fire Headquarters, where a small ceremony was held and the steel blessed.
The Brewster Fire Department will unveil and dedicate the monument in a formal ceremony at Station 1 on Route 312 and North Brewster Road at 10 am on Nov. 5th, which would have been firefighter Glen Bisogno’s 59th birthday. Family members of Putnam County residents killed on 9/11 along with first responders from through out the area will take part in the ceremony.