At Ten House, the firehouse closest to Ground Zero, remembering is part of the job

Twenty-five years after the September 11 attacks, the firehouse closest to Ground Zero has become an unlikely pilgrimage site. Engine 10 and Ladder 10, known as Ten House, sits just across the street from the National 9/11 Memorial plaza. Every day, crowds gather outside its open bay doors, snapping photos of the gleaming trucks and pausing before a large bronze relief listing the names of firefighters killed that day.

For the crews inside, answering questions from visitors is now part of the routine. Captain Terry Brody, who commands Ladder 10, says the attention is constant. "As long as you have the doors open, somebody's gonna walk in," he said. He noted that his firefighters are always willing to share their experiences, including whether they were on duty during the attacks.

Sal Argano, 65, is the last member of Ten House who was assigned there on 9/11. He was in Brooklyn on loan to another station when the towers were hit, and rushed downtown to find his firehouse damaged but standing. Six of his colleagues were among the 343 New York City firefighters killed that day.

Argano now spends much of his time near the station's entrance, shaking hands and posing for photos. "People are still coming, 25 years, it's a good feeling that they keep coming back," he said. "They want to remember, never forget." He acknowledged the weight of his position, saying, "I used to joke about it, everybody wanted to be the last one, and then, it's scary that I am."

Rob Favata joined Ladder 10 in 2007, fresh from the academy. He recalls working beside the construction site where the towers once stood and learning the stories of 9/11 from the veterans who were there. Now 46, he hopes he has passed on even a fraction of what he was told to younger firefighters, many of whom were not yet born when the attacks occurred.

Brody, who has worked at the station since 2016, has submitted his retirement papers, with his last day set for October 14. Argano, who drives Engine 10, says he is not ready to leave, fearing that something irreplaceable will be lost when no one remains who personally remembers that day.