THE WORLD TRADE CENTER
NINE-ELEVEN MEMORIAL FUND

Eight years after this devastating event, Pinellas Suncoast Fire & Rescue was given the opportunity to acquire a piece of the steel recovered from the wreckage of the World Trade Center to ensure that our communities “Never Forget 9/11.”

In the words of FDNY Firefighter Lee Ielpi (Retired), father of FDNY Firefighter Jonathan Ielpi who was “murdered” in the Line of Duty on 9/11/01, “The steel withstood the most horrific attack on American soil that took the lives of 2,973 innocent people, one of whom was my son Jonathan Ielpi, a Firefighter with FDNY Squad 288.” The September 11th Families Association stated they were proud to be part of the great effort to distribute steel to organizations interested in creating memorials.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey secured the steel recovered from the World Trade Center site at the JFK Airport and began the task of offering steel to all fire departments, police departments, EMS agencies and related community based organizations. This was a rare opportunity for Pinellas Suncoast, and we wanted to create a lasting memorial for the communities in our District honoring the lives lost and educating future generations about the events of September 11, 2001.

After two years, Pinellas Suncoast has finally received an artifact from the World Trade Center. The District’s Volunteer organization, the Indian Rocks Volunteer Firemen’s Association, has set up the Nine-Eleven Memorial Fund to allow the folks in our communities the opportunity to help in funding the construction of the memorial. One of our very own Volunteers, Robert Hill, has designed the memorial that will be constructed at the front of Fire Station No. 27, 304 First Street, Indian Rocks Beach.

The memorial will feature the iconic vision so prevalent in all our minds – the steel inner structures of the towers. Constructed of stainless steel, these two structures will flank the upright 36-inch, rippled piece of I-beam from the Trade Center. The I-beam will be wrapped with a stainless steel draped flag, stars cut from the flag to reveal the artifact, and burnished to represent the colors. These will be placed on a debris field in an elevated brick structure the shape of the pentagon. Water will flow down the flag into a reflecting pool that will represent the water so close to the towers and the escape route for so many survivors.

If you would like to help in our efforts to honor those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001, the Indian Rocks Volunteer Firemen’s Association is accepting donations. You may make checks payable to “IRVFA Nine-Eleven Memorial Fund” and mail them to 304 First Street, Indian Rocks Beach, FL  33785; or you may make a donation at any Fifth Third Bank.

This public memorial in our District will be a powerful way to ensure the memory of the victims and heroes of 9/11 live on.