SJC Fire Rescue Participates in City of St. Augustine Fire’s 25th Anniversary of 9/11

• 11 September 2026
• Category: SJC News
• Tags: 2026 Fire Rescue

The annual Ceremony of Remembrance returned to the Plaza de la Constitución.

On Friday, September 11, 2026, the City of St. Augustine honored the memory of those who died in the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, in a special 25th Anniversary ceremony.  This year, it returned to the site of the City’s first Ceremony of Remembrance, held in 2002 in the Plaza de la Constitución. St. Johns County Fire Rescue participated in the ceremony with the honor guard and in the program.

When asked about the significance of this year’s ceremony, Fire Chief Carlos Aviles reflected, “It is an honor every year, and especially this year, to serve as the stewards of this ceremony.  It carries forward the original intent and simplicity of the first ceremony, providing our community with a place to gather and reflect,”  Aviles continued, “but more importantly, the ceremony is a promise that no one will stand alone as they remember.  May we never forget the courage and resilience that emerged from this tragedy.”

The ceremony began at 8:30 am and was live-streamed on the City’s and County’s Facebook accounts. The 15-minute program included music, the presentation of colors by a multi-agency honor guard, an invocation, and personal remarks by FDNY Captain Chris Garaizar, Retired.

There was a moment of silence at 8:45 am, timed to coincide with the time the first plane hit the first tower of the World Trade Center in 2001.  Then, the Fire Department conducted the “Striking the Four 5’s” by ringing a fire bell in four intervals of five rings each.  This is a time-honored tradition signifying the last alarm of a firefighter and will be performed in honor of the firefighters, law enforcement officers, military personnel, and civilians who died on 9/11. The ceremony concluded with bagpipes and drums playing “Amazing Grace.”