LOUISVILLE, KY. (WDRB) -- Louisville is remembering the September 11th terrorist attacks with a day of service throughout the city.
Volunteers kept busy at Louisville's Fire Training Academy Tuesday morning. They were sprucing up the landscaping -- but everything stopped for a time to reflect.
Even during a moment of silence at the 9/11 remembrance, fire engines wailed -- firefighters at the service had to make a run. It was a reminder that even as they were during 9/11, first responders were ready to put their lives on the line.
"When the call comes in, we all just go to our jobs," Captain Rich Blevin of Lyndon Fire and Rescue said, "and we put the fears and the thoughts aside of what might happen, and we just do it. And I'm pretty confident that that's what they were doing -- that it was just another routine job for them."
First responders heard a message across the radio ordering all flags lowered to half-staff, honoring those who gave their lives. "Today we honor you, we remember you, and we thank you," the transmission said. "We will never forget."
Tuesday was not just a remembrance -- it was also a day of service. "You all here today are coming together to help the Louisville Fire Department," said Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer. "It is what defines us as a city and as a country. And that's the spirit of America that cannot be broken."
"We're out here with our fire department," said Jason Thomas, a volunteer from Home Depot. "And we've done this the last three years, and it's just one way for us to appreciate them because...like the mayor said, they go into chaos every day. And so, if there's a fire, they're risking their lives. For us to come out and do some simple service projects and make them feel better about what they do is a very good opportunity for us to take care of."
Those volunteers say they hope when firefighters see the landscaping at the training academy that they know they are appreciated.
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