Liberty Township firefighters climb tower in France to honor 9/11 first responders
LIBERTY TOWNSHIP, Ohio —
Four Liberty Township firefighters traveled to France to take part in an international tribute honoring the firefighters who died in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Captain Nick Duffy and firefighter/paramedics Pierre Monvillers, Shane Trickey and JJ Beckelheimer represented the Liberty Township Fire Department during the “Challenge 09/11 25th Anniversary” event in Arras, France.
At the historic Arras Belfry, participants collectively climbed the tower 343 times. Each climb represented one of the 343 members of the Fire Department of the City of New York who died during rescue operations at the World Trade Center.
Firefighters carried numbered memorial flags to the top of the tower as a visible tribute to the fallen.
“It’s about remembering the sacrifice that the members of FDNY gave up,” Trickey said. “We won’t forget. It’s a great honor.”
The trip carries additional meaning for Monvillers, who began his firefighting career in France in 2008. He spent eight years as a career firefighter at the Lens Fire Station before moving to the United States in 2020. He joined the Liberty Township Fire Department the following year.
Monvillers learned that firefighters in France were looking for American firefighters to participate in the tribute and shared the opportunity with his Liberty Township colleagues.
“What they’re doing is amazing,” Monvillers said. “It shows that there is no border, and the brotherhood within the firefighter family is there. There is no border.”
Before the memorial event in Arras, the four firefighters spent three days at Monvillers’ former firehouse in Lens. They trained with French firefighters, shared traditions and learned more about each country’s approach to the fire service.
“That is actually really cool, too, for them to see what the fire service is like in France and for them to see what I used to do,” Monvillers said.
Duffy said the event was an opportunity to represent both Liberty Township and the United States.
“It’s very humbling,” Duffy said. “It’s a huge honor not only to represent our department, but represent our country in another country at an event that was so historical for our time.”
The firefighters said the international location demonstrates how deeply the impact of 9/11 continues to be felt beyond the United States.
“We can’t do our job without thinking about them every day,” Beckelheimer said. “Every day we come in here and just try and do our best and carry on what they were doing so bravely that day.”
The Liberty Township firefighters hope the visit will also help build lasting relationships with firefighters in France, bringing together two fire service families separated by thousands of miles but united by service, sacrifice and remembrance.