John Tobin, a firefighter in Elgin, was one of many local area firefighters who went to New York after the 9/11 attacks to dig through the rubble searching for the remains of those who perished. Some time ago, after he found an FDNY ladder in a junkyard in Wisconsin, he decided to create a keepsake for the Queens company (Ladder 125) that had used that rig. The Daily Herald has a story HERE about the project with several photos.

When Elgin firefighter John Tobin noticed an old New York Fire Department firetruck sitting in a junkyard in New London, Wis., he knew he could transform it into something special.

For the past few months — with help from friends, local companies and fellow firefighters — Tobin has restored the front section (known as the “nose”) of the firetruck.

He had it professionally repainted, got its lights and siren to work again, and made it into a special keepsake for the New York Fire Department firehouse in Queens where it had been used.

New York firefighter Louis Nicolisi, who works in the Queens firehouse where Tobin’s project is headed, said they plan to use it as a display piece in the TV room, next to other historic items they’ve collected over the years.

“The guys are excited that some of our history is coming back,” Nicolisi said. “It’s fabulous what John’s done. He’s definitely a man with a big heart. As we get farther and farther away from 9/11, it’s a touching thing to see that another brother, halfway across the country, thinks about us enough to remember everyone who lost their lives on 9/11.”

Tags: 9/11 artifact, 9/11 attack at the World Trade Center, 9/11 memorial, 9/11 remembrance, Elgin Fire Department, Elgin Firefighter john Tobin