Son of firefighter killed on 9/11 serves at his father’s New York firehouse

New York, United States. Scott Larsen, whose firefighter father was killed in the World Trade Center collapse on September 11, 2001, has joined the New York City Fire Department and secured an assignment at his father’s former firehouse in Woodside, Queens. He was 4 years old when his father, also named Scott Larsen, died.

Attack and aftermath

Larsen’s father was 35 and had recently been temporarily transferred to Lower Manhattan from his usual station in Woodside when two planes hijacked by al Qaeda Islamist militants struck the Twin Towers.

He was among 343 New York City Fire Department members killed in the attack 25 years ago.

The attacks, which also included a plane flown into the Pentagon and another that crashed in Pennsylvania, killed about 3,000 people. They left tens of thousands of spouses, parents and children grieving and shocked people around the world.

The events, early in President George W. Bush’s first term, reshaped United States national security policy and led to wars lasting decades, primarily in Iraq and Afghanistan, in which more than 900,000 people died.

Following his father’s path

The attacks also influenced the lives of victims’ children, with some entering emergency services and others pursuing military, medical or public-service careers. Survivors, responders and millions of Americans continue to deal with the legacy of the day.

Larsen, now 29, said he had always wanted to work at the Woodside firehouse.

“It was something in me. I just always wanted to go here,” he said during an interview at the station.

According to data collected by the International Association of Firefighters, 58 children of FDNY firefighters who died on September 11 have followed their parents into the department.

Daily reminders

At the Woodside firehouse, Larsen sees frequent reminders of his father. His father’s name appears on a memorial plaque and on a fire truck, while photographs are displayed in the kitchen and break room.

“His memory comes up every day, honestly,” Larsen said. “There is never a day I come here and I don’t look at him.”