Ventura County firefighters will mark the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks with commemorations at every station across the county on Friday, Sept. 11.
The Ventura County Fire Department, led by Fire Chief Dustin Gardner, plans to lower flags to half-staff at 6:59 a.m., the moment the World Trade Center's South Tower collapsed in 2001, the VC Reporter reported. A moment of silence will follow at each station, at VCFD headquarters in Thousand Oaks and at the Fire Communications Center in Camarillo.
Dispatchers will then share a broadcast honoring those who died. That broadcast will be followed by a traditional firefighter's tribute: four sets of five bells. The bell ceremony is a longstanding fire service tradition used to honor fallen firefighters.
The ceremony is not new. VCFD has held the same observance each year on the anniversary. In a Sept. 6, 2024, post on X, the department described commemorations at each fire station and headquarters starting at 6:59 a.m. for the 23rd anniversary. In September 2025, the department again invited the public to join at any station, headquarters or dispatch location for the 24th anniversary observance.
The department is encouraging community members to attend Friday's ceremony at their nearest VCFD station. A list of station locations is available at vcfd.org/fire-stations, according to the VC Reporter.
Friday's commemoration will be the first 9/11 observance at VCFD's Thousand Oaks headquarters since the department dedicated its new facility in August 2024.
What to know
- What: VCFD 25th anniversary 9/11 commemoration
- When: Friday, Sept. 11, at 6:59 a.m.
- Where: All VCFD stations, VCFD headquarters in Thousand Oaks and the Fire Communications Center in Camarillo
- Details: Flags lowered to half-staff, moment of silence, dispatcher broadcast, four sets of five bells
- Station list: vcfd.org/fire-stations
