Twenty-five years after the September 11, 2001 attacks, Sal Argano, 65, is the last active firefighter still on staff at Engine 10/Ladder 10, the New York City firehouse directly across from the World Trade Center.
On the morning of the attacks, Argano was not at his usual post but on loan to another station in Brooklyn. He rushed to his firehouse after the first plane struck, finding it heavily damaged but still standing. Six of his colleagues from the station were among the 343 FDNY firefighters killed that day.
“If I wasn’t sent out on rotation there would have been a good chance I would not be here today,” Argano said. “I think about that all the time.”
Today, Ten House, as the station is known, responds to emergency calls while also functioning as a de facto memorial to the 9/11 attacks. Tourists frequently visit the site to see the bronze relief listing the names of the fallen firefighters and to view the station's gleaming trucks, Engine 10 and Ladder 10.
Capt. Terence Brody, who commanded Ladder 10 and worked at the station from 2016 until his retirement this October, noted that Ten House is a place where firefighters must engage with the public. “People around the world know this firehouse. They’re going to come by and say hello,” Brody said.
Brody, who was in the fire academy on 9/11, described the scene at Ground Zero as an “apocalyptic atmosphere” where debris fell like snow. In the days following the attack, Ten House served as a command center and a refuge for first responders.
Robert Favata, who joined Ladder 10 in 2008, has witnessed the transformation of the area. He recalled working amidst the construction activity that followed the attacks and now sees the National 9/11 Memorial & Museum, surrounded by new skyscrapers. “When I got here, there was nothing,” Favata said. “I never thought they were gonna finish.”
Argano spends his days near the station's open bay doors, answering questions and posing for photos. He views the firefighters at Ten House as living testimonials to 9/11 and ambassadors for the FDNY. He emphasizes the importance of treating every visitor with respect, especially younger firefighters who were not alive during the attacks.
“This is not like any other firehouse,” Argano said. “We have our fire duty, we have our responses, and then we have a responsibility toward the people outside.”
He acknowledges the challenges of interacting with tourists, whose questions can sometimes be intrusive. Younger firefighters often maintain a lower profile due to these interactions, Argano noted.
As the 25th anniversary approaches, Favata, who is nearing retirement, expressed concern about preserving the memory of Ten House. “When I got here, so many of the guys worked 9/11 and they told me their stories of that day,” he said, struggling with emotion. “I just hope I can give like a percentage of what they’ve told me to the younger guys.”
Brody, who is retiring in October, reflected on ending his career across the street from where he began. Argano, however, intends to remain at Ten House as long as possible, driven by a sense of duty to share the history and his experiences. “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.”