A tribute to 9/11 and the Fire Fighter

The Shelter Island Library’s Friday Night Dialogues series will present the History Channel’s documentary, “The Fireboats of 9/11,” in a two-part program on September 11 at 7 p.m.

“Through candid interviews, a history of the [New York Fire Department’s] Marine Division and its ships, and a comprehensive account of the fireboat response to the calamities of 9/11, ‘The Fireboats of 9/11’ chronicles the people and vessels that helped America through one of its darkest hours,” wrote an Amazon editorial review about the film.

One of the fireboats responding on 9/11 was the NYFD’s Fire Fighter, whose crew pumped water for three days to support the firefighting efforts at Ground Zero.

Built in 1938 and in service on New York’s waterfront until it was decommissioned in 2010, Fire Fighter is now a “museum ship,” berthed in Greenport.

Following the film, the Fireboat Fire Fighter Museum’s President Charlie Richie will talk about the museum’s efforts to preserve and restore the ship — listed on the National Register of Historic Places and named a National Historic Landmark by the National Park Service.

The discussion will be led by Islander Judith Hole, a long-time producer at CBS News. During her 50-year career, she worked with Walter Cronkite, Charles Kuralt, Mike Wallace, Lesley Stahl, Morley Safer, among many others.

Fire Fighter can be visited on weekends on Greenport’s commercial pier, and a celebration of the 77th anniversary of its launch will be held on board on Saturday, September 26.

Join the library for this special event on Friday, September 11 in the Community Room on the library’s lower level. Friday Night Dialogues are free; donations are very welcome.

Coming up: “The Importance of National Parks” with Cortney Worrall of the National Parks Conservation Association on September 18, followed by author Jim Thomson’s discussion of his novel, “Lies You Wanted to Hear” on September 25.