The DeLand Fire Department has been awarded a sapling from the 9/11 Survivor Tree.
The sapling has been planted on the southwest side of the new DeLand Fire Station 81 at 343 W. Howry Ave.. The 343 address number represents the 343 firefighters who were killed on 9/11.
Each year, saplings from the 9/11 Survivor Tree are awarded to communities that have faced significant hardship. The DeLand Fire Department was awarded the sapling following the loss of Chief Daniel Hanes in 2018 and the F-2 tornado that struck the city in 2020.
The sapling given to the DeLand Fire Department was picked up in New York by firefighters from the Saint Augustine Fire Department, which was also awarded a sapling.
All of the saplings are direct descendants of the Callery pear tree that was recovered and rehabilitated from the rubble at Ground Zero following the terrorist attacks on 9/11.
