Harry Wheeler often gets asked why there is a sticker warning people to stay back 343 feet on the bumper of the old Truckee Meadows Fire Department incident command vehicle he often drives in parades and other events.
That number, 343, carries great weight for Wheeler, representing the number of firefighters killed responding to the terror attacks at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.
“That’s how many firefighters we lost that day, so that’s why it’s such a significant number,” Wheeler said. “We’ve lost a lot more since then because of health issues.”
A retired firefighter for the Truckee Meadows and City of Reno fire departments, Wheeler has an extensive collection of firefighting memorabilia, and he’s written a book about the history of firefighting in Nevada.
Last Thursday, he set up a display at the Canal Wine Lounge of his collection of posters, pictures, fire department patches and other items he’s gathered in the 24 years since the 9/11 attacks.
One of Wheeler’s favorite items in the collection is a photo taken in March 2002 with three New York firefighters who came to Reno to present a plaque to thank the city of Reno for its donation of $550,000 that was raised by the Reno Fire Department, where Wheeler was serving at the time. The photo shows them ringing the bell at Reno Fire Station No. 1, where the Aces baseball stadium now stands, 24 times in memory of 24 firefighters lost from Battalion 57.
The collection also includes a replica of the fire station that houses Engines 230 and 235 and a statue depicting three firefighters raising the flag on top of the rubble of the World Trade Center.
“I put this collection together to represent the New York Fire Department,” Wheeler said. “We’re trying to keep 9/11 alive, we’re trying to keep the memory of 9/11 and just make it a visual for people to look at.”
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