By Jillian Kurtz
The Fishers community commemorated the 20th anniversary of 9/11 throughout Sept. 11, including a Community Safety Day in the afternoon.
The commemoration included moments of silence at the Fishers Farmers Market during the times of day when the World Trade Center and Pentagon were struck by terrorist hijackers and when Flight 93 crashed in Pennsylvania when passengers overpowered the terrorist hijackers. Fisher conducted its annual Community Safety Day later in the afternoon at the Nickel Plate District Amphitheater.
Hosted by Fishers Fire and Emergency Services, the event focused on connecting with Fishers residents through engaging performances and demonstrations as well as conversations about preventative safety.
“Today is a day to remember, and in a way, celebrate,” said Robert Bennett, a Boy Scout Troop 303 volunteer whose troop hosted a kids bike ride obstacle course. “On the way over here, we passed the bridge with the firetrucks holding a flag over the interstate and I asked my son, ‘Do you know why they’re doing that?’ It’s important to have those conversations.”
Fishers resident Gina Vorhees agreed.
“We came out because (my son) loves firefighters and as a way to pay tribute to our firefighters and first responders,” Vorhees said. “He’s young, so we’re trying to find a way to incorporate him into this day through the positive side of it.”
Fishers Fire Dept. Public Information Officer John Mehling emphasized the importance of all the community partners coming together to share knowledge of each organization’s expertise.
“Any way that you can come up with a way of hurting yourself, we like to come up with a way to make it better, or better yet, finding a way to prevent that in the first place,” Mehling said.
Mehling said the fire department has a strong relationship with local schools, and by being able to connect some of that in-classroom safety education with in-person demonstrations, Mehling kids will be more knowledgeable about safety topics.
Following Community Safety Day, Fisher’s hosted a Run to Remember 5K at 6 p.m., followed by a prayer service and vigil at 7 p.m. to remember those who lost their lives or suffered physical or emotional injuries during the terrorist attacks.
