403 American flags adorn lawn of Bucks County fire company in honor of lives lost on 9/11

WARMINSTER, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- On the 23rd anniversary of the September 11 attacks, the Hartsville Fire Company in Bucks County held a ceremony to remember and honor the first responders who died that day.

A memorial for the fallen sits outside the fire company off York Road.

On Wednesday, 403 American flags -- each representing a first responder who made the ultimate sacrifice -- adorned the lawn outside the fire company.

"Just driving up here, and driving by seeing all the flags, it just brings you back to the day that it happened," said Anita Willbanks from Warrington. "It's a day that I think most people will say they know exactly where they were, what they were doing."

Geoffrey Schurer from Warminster said his father was inspired to join the Hartsville Fire Company after 9/11.

He later followed in his father's footsteps.

"I wasn't alive for it, but hearing all the stories of those who sacrificed their lives to save the people in that building shook me," he told Action News.

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Ed Pfeiffer, the president of the fire company, said the tragic events of that day, "Left us all a little short. Everyone wanted to help in some fashion."

Pfeiffer, along with other members of the fire company, started working on a memorial shortly after 9/11.

Together, they created the 9/11 NYC Emergency Responders' Memorial.

The names of the fallen officers and firefighters were etched in stone. At the center of it, they placed a beam that belonged to the World Trade Center.

As the sun set on this 23rd anniversary of the attacks, people gathered at the firehouse to remember.

One by one, members of the crowd plucked an American flag from the grass. Then, they stacked the flags on a table inside the firehouse before reading the names of the fallen.

The ceremony wasn't only a chance to remember the lives lost, but it also served as an opportunity to teach some of the children in attendance.

Chris Macumber attended the event with his 6-year-old son, James.

"It's very important so they know what happened, and the significance of it, so that we can make sure these things never happen again," Macumber.

In addition to the fallen first responders, the memorial outside the fire company also recognizes local volunteer firefighters John Kulick and Tristan Smith who were killed in action in Iraq.