Ringing of the bell at local 9/11 remembrance service honors first responders

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Members of the South Bend Fire and Police Departments came out to St. Patrick's County Park Thursday for the ringing of the bell, symbolizing the 343 firefighters and 60 police officers who perished on 9/11 in 2001.

SBPD and SBFD continue to call for a collective commitment to never forget the events of Sept. 11, 2001, and to prevent future acts of terrorism.

The ceremony also acknowledges sacrifices of first responders and the families of the victims.

SBPD Chief Scott Ruszkowski said, "This is more memorializing, commemorative, more solemn than most are. I mean, we lost almost 3,000 lives. We, actually, to this day, are continuing to lose lives from the aftereffects of what happened in New York, the Pentagon, and in Pennsylvania."