25 years later, how 9/11 influenced the careers of an Edmonton firefighting family

When the planes hit the World Trade Centre twin towers in New York City on September 11, 2001, firefighter Don Cherniawski was just getting off night shift more than 3,000 kilometres away in Edmonton.

His son, Tyler Cherniawski, a university student, was asleep in the basement at home.

“My wife phoned me from work and told me turn on the T.V., that there was a big happening in New York,” he said.

“When I saw the second plane hit, I knew right away that they were under attack.

“The magnitude of the destruction in the towers was something to behold.”

For the Edmonton Fire Rescue Services firefighter, his mind immediately went to how he and his crew would respond.

“How are they going to attack this as a fire department, as a rescue mission?” he questioned.

“They were showing fire crews that were undergoing preparations for their plan of action to go into the towers, and it was the first time I saw fear in their eyes,” Cherniawski said.

“I knew then that they looked at that and they knew they weren’t going to come out.”

The retired EFRS district chief said that day shaped how he responded, every time he put on his own uniform, and how he led his teams moving forward.

“It was this sense of pride and duty, and I think I felt like I owed more to my community and to my crew and to my members,” he said. “It was very humbling to watch what those men and women went through.”

“Everybody left that day expecting to be home at night,” he said.

“Did they kiss their wife goodbye? Did they hug their kids? Did they say ‘I love you?’ Because two hours later, they were gone.”

It also shaped his son’s own future.

Tyler Cherniawski wasn’t planning on following his father’s footsteps into the firefighting field. But when he saw what happened in New York, that all changed.

“I was always somebody that jumped in and offered a hand. I wasn’t scared to get involved. I was somebody who acted when the situation called for it,” Tyler said. “It was sort of at that point where I really seriously considered a career in firefighting.”

“The efforts of the people that day really highlighted the type of person that he was, the type of person I looked up to and wanted to be like.”

Tyler Cherniawski is now a fire captain and 22-year member with EFRS.

“Obviously, when a thing like that happens, it’s very close to home, and it becomes a more real thing,” he said when he was asked if the images of that day changed how he felt about what his dad did for a living.

“But I always understood that there was a danger associated with that profession.”

Sept. 11, 2001 is the single largest loss of firefighting lives in history — 343 New York City firefighters died in the line of duty and scores more have paid with their lives since.

In the 25 years since, more than 400 New York City Fire Department (FDNY) members have died from illnesses such as cancers linked to toxic dust from the World Trade Center collapse.

While the father and son both recognize how important that day is, they also hope to be able to highlight the lives lost closer to home.

Earlier this week, they pair worked to clean up the site of the Edmonton Firefighters Memorial in Old Strathcona, ahead of services on Friday.

As a member of the honour guard, Tyler marched with the Canadian flag.

“It’s about honouring our members and their memory,” he said.

“It’s about being here for their families so they can grieve properly, and they can see that their loved ones are taken care of and hold a special place in our department’s heart.”

In 2026, the Edmonton Firefighters Memorial Society added five names to the bell tower in Edmonton Firefighters Memorial Plaza, honouring line-of-duty deaths while 21 names of fallen members were read at the service.