Hastings first responders ring bell, remember victims of 9/11 terrorist attacks

HASTINGS, Neb. — 22 years later, first responders in Hastings are still ringing the bell for those who died in the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

A firefighter rang the bell five times after readings about each of the four plane crashes on that day and for both tower collapses. Retired firefighter Darin Clark has organized the ceremony every year since 2002.

“It’s important that we keep doing stuff like this so people remember to keep it in the front of their minds of the sacrifices and the loss of that day,” Clark said.

Clark was a captain with Hastings Fire in 2001. He remembers the sadness of the day. He also remembers how the country and first responders became more unified afterwards.

“None of our firefighters went over there, but yet we were doing blood drives," Clark said. "The firefighters union, we went together and we sold t-shirts and we sent all that money off to the New York Firefighters and Children’s Fund.”

The ceremony stirred up emotions among those who remember the tragedy, and among those who don’t. EMT and firefighter Matthew Schreiber was born after 9/11. For him, the anniversary is a reminder of the hazards of his profession.

“With a job like this, you can’t really think about all the risks you’re going to take," Schreiber said. "It’s going to be somewhere in the back of your mind, but the main reason why I’m doing this job is for my team, for my family. I know that my life’s going to be on the line, but it’s just a matter of making my family proud and making my crew proud.”