Charlotte fire marshal recalls responding to 9/11 in NYC

CHARLOTTE — As we approach the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, Channel 9 is remembering those who served and sacrificed, and how those events changed our country and our city.

The man who now serves as Charlotte’s fire marshal was a New York firefighter at the time. He sat down with Channel 9’s Damany Lewis to share what he wants all of us to remember.

“It was quiet; paper in the air and everything was covered in gray ash,” Kevin Miller said, recalling the atmosphere on Sept. 11, 2001.

Vivid memories still linger in the mind of Charlotte Fire Marshal Kevin Miller about what life was like moments after terrorists flew two planes into the World Trade Center.

Twenty-five years ago, Miller says he was on light duty in New York City as a firefighter.

He and others attempted to get as close to Ground Zero as possible.

“We went downstairs, commandeered a city bus, got on the bus, and took us as close as possible down to that area, which was a few blocks away from Ground Zero,” Miller said.

At the time, Miller was just six years in with the New York Fire Department.

After the towers fell, for countless days, he and others used whatever they could to dig while looking for survivors.

“So I was going home, but there was about two and a half weeks of consistently being on the pile, because at that time we were digging, hand digging, using hand saws and shovels. No large machinery at this time,” Miller said.

Miller says he lost numerous brothers and sisters he worked with and trained beside. It’s something he thinks about every year.

“I graduated with a class of about right around 300 in my class. I’m not sure the exact number, but it was a substantial amount of my classmates that died in 9/11,” Miller said.

Twenty-five years later, he and others are paying tribute to the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice that day.

On September 12, Charlotte firefighters, first responders, and members of the community will walk up and down more than 100 flights of stairs at the Bank of America Tower in Uptown Charlotte in remembrance of those who lost their lives on September 11.

Miller says he’s thankful for those participating and wants everyone to focus attention on those who lost their lives and those who continue to serve to this day.

“We’re talking about the firefighters, the men and women, the police officers, the EMTs that sacrificed their lives that day,” Miller said. “We are the voice for those people. They can’t speak to us today. They can’t raise their hands. They can’t do that. Their families are going to continuously deal with this. So I would like for people to remember them.”