Shepherd's Men News

By April Wright, Shepherd’s Men Team Member

As we approach the 25th anniversary of September 11, 2001, retired FDNY Lieutenant Brian Collins says the memories remain as vivid as ever.

Collins began his career with the New York City Fire Department in 1989 at Engine 309/Ladder 159 in Brooklyn. During more than 30 years of service, he also served with Ladder 17 in the South Bronx before finishing his career at Ladder 10—better known as Ten House—the firehouse located directly across the street from the World Trade Center.

His career placed him at the center of one of the darkest chapters in American history. Today, his continued support of Shepherd’s Men reflects the same commitment to service that has defined his life, from protecting New Yorkers as a firefighter to helping veterans and first responders recover from the invisible wounds of trauma.

Brian sat down with Shepherd’s Men to reflect on that day, the months that followed, and why remembering still matters.

The Morning Everything Changed

April Wright: When you think back to September 11, 2001, what do you remember most about that morning?

Brian Collins:
“It started like any other day.

I was home putting my kids on the school bus. After they left, I was walking back toward the house to study for a promotional exam when one of my neighbors stopped me and asked if I’d heard what was happening.

I hadn’t.

She simply said, ‘Go home and turn on the television.’

I walked inside just in time to watch the second plane hit the South Tower.”

Within minutes, Brian received the same recall every off-duty firefighter across New York City would hear.

The entire department was being called in.

“I called my wife and told her, ‘I don’t know if you’ve seen what’s happening, but I have to go.’

When I got to the firehouse, guys who had been off duty were already there trying to prepare for something none of us could even imagine.”

Firefighters immediately began modifying their equipment before heading downtown.

“We were cutting the handles off shovels and rakes and duct-taping them back together so they’d be short enough to use in confined spaces.

Nobody knew what we were going to find.”

Arriving at Ground Zero

Nothing could have prepared Brian for what awaited them.

“There were about twenty stories of debris.

Steel.

Concrete.

Twisted metal.

Tower 7 was still standing, but it was completely engulfed in fire.”

Where two 102-story skyscrapers had stood only hours before was now an unimaginable mountain of destruction.

“There wasn’t much organization at first because we’d lost so many chief officers and company officers in the collapse.

The orders were simple:

Go in and start digging.”

For days, firefighters barely left the site.

Nearby hotels opened conference rooms and covered the floors with mattresses so exhausted first responders could rest for an hour or two before returning to work.

Eventually, the department established rotating shifts to keep both Ground Zero and the rest of New York City protected.

“Even then, very few people actually went home.

If you weren’t assigned to Ground Zero, you were staffing your firehouse.

If you weren’t at the firehouse, you were probably back at the pile helping however you could.”

Searching for the Missing

One of the challenges few people understood was the enormous size of the recovery operation.

“The World Trade Center wasn’t just over one hundred stories above ground.

It also went seven or eight stories below street level.”

As crews worked deeper underground, engineers built ramps so heavy equipment could reach the lower levels.

Everyone knew those ramps would eventually have to come out.

“And when they did,” Brian explained, “those areas underneath would still have to be searched.”

The work continued for months.

Recovery crews eventually transitioned into small search teams, each assigned to a specific section of Ground Zero.

Losing Brothers

For Brian, the devastation wasn’t measured only in steel and concrete.

It was measured in names.

“When they finally released the memorial poster with everyone we’d lost, I started going through it.

I got to twelve names that I personally knew.

I couldn’t keep going.”

Thirty years in the FDNY meant friendships stretched across countless firehouses, training academies, medical classes, and even lifeguard days before joining the department.

“I honestly don’t want to know the total number of people I knew.”

A Second Family

Brian says people outside the fire service often don’t understand what a firehouse truly becomes.

“The fire department is your second family.

You go to weddings together.

Company picnics.

Dinner dances.

You play softball, hockey, basketball.

You spend so much of your life together.”

Then, almost overnight, that family changed forever.

“I knew guys who retired shortly afterward because they couldn’t bring themselves to walk back into the firehouse.

Some companies lost fourteen or fifteen firefighters.

Imagine walking back into your family home after losing fifteen members of your family.”

He paused.

“Just losing one family member is devastating.

Imagine losing dozens.”

A Nation United

As heartbreaking as those days were, Brian also remembers something extraordinary.

“The support from the public was unbelievable.”

Fire departments from across America arrived in New York to help.

Hotels became shelters.

Restaurants fed rescue workers around the clock.

Communities donated whatever they could.

“I now live in the same community with a retired firefighter from Massachusetts.

He came to help after 9/11.

I didn’t even meet him then—we met years later—but that’s the kind of connections that came from that experience.”

For a brief moment, America stood together.

Why We Must Never Forget

When asked what younger generations should know about September 11, Brian’s answer came without hesitation.

“As the years go by, things get forgotten.

People say, ‘Never Forget.’

I hope we truly never do.”

He believes the events of September 11 should continue to be taught in schools—not only because of what happened in New York City, but also because of the attacks on the Pentagon, the heroism aboard Flight 93 in Pennsylvania, and the thousands of lives forever changed.

“This was the first attack on our country since Pearl Harbor.

It’s history.

People need to understand what happened.”

Finding Shepherd’s Men

Brian’s relationship with Shepherd’s Men began unexpectedly.

He received a call that a group from Georgia wanted to visit Ten House and prepare dinner for the firefighters.

That group was led by Travis Ellis.

After the meal, Brian invited everyone to join him at a nearby pub.

“I told them, ‘I’m heading across the street for a drink if anybody wants to come.’

Every one of them came.”

That evening marked the beginning of friendships that continue today.

Since then, Brian has helped organize ruck marches through New York City, coordinated stair climbs, donated handcrafted woodworking pieces for fundraising auctions, and remained a passionate advocate for Shepherd’s Men.

“Anything I can do to help raise money, I’ll do.”

He was especially encouraged when the SHARE Military Initiative expanded its services to include first responders.

“I was fortunate to meet the first firefighter who completed the program.

Seeing that firsthand meant a great deal.”

Service Knows No Uniform

Brian believes firefighters and military service members share something deeper than many people realize.

“The fire department is a semi-military organization.

There’s a chain of command.

There are regulations.

Many firefighters are veterans.”

He worked alongside men and women who served in Iraq and Afghanistan before returning to the FDNY.

“They answered another call to serve.”

But Brian worries that too many veterans return home carrying burdens that aren’t immediately visible.

“We need to do more for them.

If what I do with Shepherd’s Men helps even a little, then it’s worth every minute.”

One Final Thought

As the interview came to a close, Brian reflected on the image that has stayed with him for nearly twenty-five years.

“When I first arrived, all I saw was concrete, steel, and wire.

I remember asking myself…

Where are the desks?

Where are the computers?

Where are the vending machines?

Where did everything go?”

Then he shared the thought that has remained with him ever since.

He paused before adding that, in those early hours, his only hope was that anyone trapped inside had not suffered.

Before ending our interview, Brian had one final request.

“If you have children who weren’t alive on September 11, talk to them about it when they’re old enough to understand.

Keep telling the story.

That’s how we make sure it is never forgotten.”

The sacrifices of September 11 did not end when the smoke cleared. The attacks inspired hundreds of thousands of Americans to answer the call to military service, many of whom returned home carrying the invisible wounds of war. Shepherd’s Men exists to ensure those heroes—and now first responders—receive the care, hope, and healing they deserve through the SHARE Military Initiative at Shepherd Center.

Watch the Full Interview Here