First responders, local dignitaries and members of the public gathered inside the newly opened Key Largo Volunteer Fire Rescue Museum to remember and honor the thousands of lives lost 24 years ago during the Sept. 11 terror attacks.
“I remember that day, so vividly, like it was yesterday,” an emotional Diane De Jesus told the crowd. She was a teacher in the Bronx when the hijacked planes struck the World Trade Center, shattering countless lives, including those of some of her young students, whose parents never came home from work that day.
De Jesus now lives in Palm Coast, Florida and was visiting Key Largo when she heard about the remembrance ceremony; she knew she needed to attend.
“I’m just so happy to see that people are here and they’re respecting 9/11; they’re not forgetting. And look at how lucky I am, to come see a beautiful new museum,” she added.
The 9/11 ceremony was the first to be held inside the new museum that pays tribute to Key Largo’s volunteer firefighters, who served the community for decades, starting in 1955. The museum also honors firefighters past and present from all 26 fire stations countywide, from Ocean Reef to Key West.
After years of planning and collecting memorabilia, the museum, next to Station 24, opened for the first time on July 4.
“Now the fire service is a fully paid department, “ said Frank Conklin, who started volunteering for the department in the 1990s. Conklin is a commissioner with the Key Largo Fire and EMS District. An electrician by trade, this former volunteer firefighter wanted to preserve the department’s rich history and worked tirelessly to create the museum, reaching out to former firefighters for historical artifacts and mementos.
“Rather than just throw stuff in the garbage that the next generation did not know about, let’s preserve the history and educate the public as well as our firefighters,” said Conklin, who is the museum’s founder and curator.
Capt. Sergio Garcia has been with Key Largo Fire Rescue for 17 years. His roots run deep here and he is excited to have this museum in the community.
“I grew up right here in this neighborhood,” Garcia said. “I have a lot of history here in the department. My father was the past chief, my uncle was a past assistant chief here, so it’s very special to be able to have this in the community, honoring and remembering all the history here since back in the ’50s,” he added.
The inside of the museum, which is located in the original home of the Key Largo Volunteer Fire Rescue Department, is a snapshot into the early days of the fire service.
On one wall, there’s a tribute to Harry Davis, the county’s first Black fire chief. About a year and a half ago, Davis’ family donated some of his award plaques to the museum.
Across the room, the station’s first watercraft is on display. The Water Emergency Team was formed in the 1980s.
Another section features original bunker gear and a display of the Hurst-manufactured “Jaws of Life,” a hydraulic tool used to cut vehicles apart and extricate crash victims.
Before the blue divider wall went up on the 18-mile stretch, that section of U.S. 1 was perilous, to say the least.
“We were losing probably 25 people a year out there,” recalled Conklin.
“The Hurst ‘Jaws of Life’ used us as a training center,” said Conklin. “They would let us use the latest and strongest tools because we had the most activity,” he recalled.
Another exhibit highlights rope rescue techniques. Former Key Largo Volunteer Fire Chief Ron Mobley created this exhibit. Mobley joined the volunteer department straight out of high school in 1974, eventually overseeing the entire operation. Mobley also spent 26 years with Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, where he was a member of Florida Task Force 1.
He and his crew spent two weeks at ground zero following the 9/11 attacks. Mobley hopes this is the first of many remembrances to be held at the new museum.
“This is our first time and it’s going to be something that is going to be a tradition,” said Mobley.
The Key Largo Volunteer Fire Rescue museum is located at 3 East Dr. in Key Largo, MM 99, oceanside, at the blinking light. It’s open every Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and from 4 to 8 p.m. Admission is free, but donations are appreciated.
