Steel Beams From Twin Towers Donated To Pasco Fire Rescue

LAND O' LAKES, FL — Two weathered steel beams encased in a handcrafted wood display stand as a testament to the 2,996 lives lost 21 years ago in the 9/11 terrorist attacks as well as the first responders who have since died from contaminants at ground zero.

Surrounded by first responders, residents, county officials and representatives of the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, Pasco County Fire Chief Scott Cassin accepted the gift of steel salvaged from the ruins of the World Trade Center North Tower donated to Pasco County Fire Rescue.

The memorial to the victims of 9/11 was donated to the county by the national nonprofit Tunnel to Towers Foundation to mark the ground-breaking of the first home at the foundation's Let Us Do Good Village in Land O' Lakes, a first-of-its-kind neighborhood providing mortgage-free homes for severely injured military and first responders and the families of military and first responders who died in the line of duty.

The 9/11 memorial will be permanently housed in the Pasco County Fire Rescue headquarters in a custom wooden case crafted by Pasco firefighter Vick Brown. All the materials used to build the case were donated by the Firefighters Charities of Pasco. The Rotary Club of Land O' Lakes organized the tribute.

"This incredible gift from Tunnel to Towers to Pasco County Fire Rescue highlights their commitment to the Pasco County community," Cassin said. "We couldn’t be more proud to display this tribute to those lost that day."

That commitment by the Tunnel to Towers Foundation includes the construction of 100 homes in Let Us Do Good Village along with a state-of-the-art community center, an Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant gym and pool, a movie theater, basketball court, pickleball court, playgrounds and meeting rooms. The community will be located at Parkway Boulevard and Do Good Way in Land O' Lakes.

The purpose of the project is to not only provide homes to Gold Star military and Fallen First Responder families but to unite the families who have sacrificed for their country and communities so they can help one another heal.

The Tunnel to Towers Foundation honors the sacrifice of New York City firefighter Stephen Siller. The 34-year-old father had finished his shift Brooklyn's Squad 1 but, upon learning of the terrorist attacks, drove his truck to the entrance of the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel on Sept. 11, 2001, to do what he could to help.

The tunnel had been closed for security reasons, so Siller strapped 60 pounds of gear to his back and raced on foot through the tunnel to the Twin Towers where he gave his life saving others.

For more than 20 years, the foundation has provided first responders, veterans and the families left behind in the War on Terror with mortgage-free homes. Siller's brother, Frank, is the chairman and CEO of the foundation.

The initial groundbreaking announcing the construction of the village in Land O' Lakes took place on Dec. 11.