FDNY "Ten House" was the first firehouse to respond on 9/11, Sal Argano is the last firefighter still on staff

FDNY Ten House, home of Engine 10 and Ladder 10, is a small Manhattan firehouse just across an intersection from where the twin towers stood. Following the events of 9/11, the firefighters of Ten House have served as both living testimonials to what happened that day and public faces of the centuries-old FDNY. 

Timeline:

Almost 25 years later, Sal Argano, now 65, is still on duty at the firehouse — the last of the firefighters assigned there in 2001 who still works there.

When the World Trade Center was struck by hijacked jets on Sept. 11, 2001, New York City firefighter Sal Argano was in Brooklyn, on loan to another station, rather than at his usual post at Ten House.

He rushed downtown to find his firehouse badly damaged but still standing and learned later, six Ten House firefighters were among the 343 New York City firefighters killed in the World Trade Center's collapse. 

What they're saying:

"If I wasn’t sent out on rotation there would have been a good chance I would not be here today," Argano says. "I think about that all the time."

Ten House served key roles during and after 9/11 

Capt. Terence Brody, who commands Ladder 10 and has worked at the station since 2016, is now 55, and was still in the fire academy on 9/11. Cadets grabbed their gear and were bused to ground zero, where debris hung so thickly in the air around the fallen towers that it looked like it was snowing, he said.

What they're saying:

"It was a beautiful sunny Tuesday, and then you’re in this kind of apocalyptic atmosphere," Brody said. "It was a little overwhelming, to say the least."

In the days after the attack, Brody said Ten House served as both a command center and safe space for weary first responders.  In the years that followed, the Ten House crew had a front-row seat to the area’s rebirth. 

Big picture view:

Robert Favata joined Ladder 10 in 2008, fresh out of the academy and in those early years, he worked beside a giant hole teeming with construction activity. Now 46, he looks out at a transformed landscape of the 9/11 Memorial, which consists of two memorial pools where the twin towers once stood engraved with the names of those who lost their lives.

The North Pool contains the names of those who died at the North Tower, those who died on February 26, 1993, and those who lost their lives on the hijacked Flight 11. Engraved on the South Pool are the names of the first responders, victims at the South Tower, those who were on hijacked Flights 93, 77 and 175 as well as those who died at the Pentagon.

The memorial also contains the 9/11 Memorial Glade, honoring those who developed illnesses and those who died from exposure to toxins from the aftermath of the attacks.  

Below ground, the 9/11 Museum houses mangled steel beams, a destroyed fire truck and other artifacts. New skyscrapers ring the memorial.

This year, the museum opened "Our Flag Was Still There," an exhibition featuring flags, artifacts and photographs that tell stories of resilience from first responders, veterans and Americans who lived through 9/11. The exhibit includes the Ground Zero flag raised by FDNY firefighters, the flag draped over the Pentagon by soldiers and firefighters, a flag raised over the last column of the South Tower, and one carried during the mission that killed Usama bin Laden. 

"When I got here, there was nothing," Favata says. "I never thought they were gonna finish."

Endless stream of visitors stop at Ten House 

As visitors stop by Ten House, Argano can be found most days perched near the station's open bay doors, patiently answering questions, shaking hands and posing for photos.

He says Ten House firefighters have a unique charge: they’re both living testimonials to the events of 9/11 and public faces of the centuries-old FDNY.

Argano says he tries to impress on younger firefighters — many increasingly not even born before the attacks — the importance of treating every visitor with respect.

"This is not like any other firehouse," he said. "We have our fire duty, we have our responses, and then we have a responsibility toward the people outside."

He acknowledges the task is not always easy and so many gawking tourists can be relentless. Their questions can sometimes come across too personal, too insincere or just simply too out there.

Many of the younger firefighters tend to keep a lower profile for that reason, he said.

After responding to an early morning call this particular day, most of the crew heads to the back of the station to stow their gear or upstairs to help prepare lunch. 

Ten House members reflect on 9/11 milestone

Favata considers the approaching 25th anniversary as likely one of his last before retirement. He worries, though, if he’s done enough to keep the memories of Ten House alive. 

What they're saying:

"When I got here, so many of the guys worked 9/11 and they told me their stories of that day," Favata said, choking on tears. "I just hope I can give like a percentage of what they’ve told me to the younger guys."

Brody, meanwhile, has handed in his retirement papers and his last day will be in October.

"It’s interesting to think that my first day in the field was right across the street, and this is where I’m gonna end my career," said Brody, who writes screenplays in his spare time and has already had two of them turned into Hallmark Channel movies.

But Argano, who drives Engine 10, isn’t quite ready to pack it in. He fears something will be lost when no one is there who still remembers.

"I’m not done. I’m gonna be here as long as I can," Argano said. "I’m going to keep telling them what I know, what I saw, what I’ve been through. Telling them the history of this firehouse. Everything I can remember."

September 11News