On Thursday, Sept. 13 at 6 p.m., the Rotary Club of Boothbay Harbor will welcome the public and all members of local fire, police and sheriff departments, the Boothbay Region Ambulance Service, Lincoln County E-911 workers, Coast Guard and Harbor Masters to attend the 16th annual Hometown Heroes Dinner at the Spruce Point Inn.

For the past 15 years, the Rotary Club has hosted the Hometown Heroes Dinner as a way to honor all of the first responders who serve the Boothbay peninsula and thank them for the excellent care and service they provide to us each and every day. Funds raised from this event will be donated to area departments to assist with the purchase of life-saving equipment such as thermal imaging masks, firefighting pumps and canine vests.

This year’s Hometown Heroes event will feature guest speaker Lynn Tierney. On 9/11 Tierney served as a Deputy Fire Commissioner with the New York City Fire Department. As Tierney reported to the command post located in the North Tower on Sept. 11, bodies were falling around her. One of her fellow firefighters said to her, “Commissioner, you’ve got to look up, watch where you’re going. You could be killed.” This chance encounter in the face of insurmountable tragedy spoke volumes to Tierney about who firefighters are — about their focus, confidence, dedication to duty, and about the love and respect they have for one another.

Just before the North Tower collapsed, Tierney left the building to meet with the Commissioner and the Mayor. As the Tower came down, she dove under a loading dock and although she was covered with rubble, smoke and ash, she was one of the few miraculous survivors. Following 9/11, Tierney wrote or delivered eulogies at close to 100 funerals and memorial services for firefighters and was responsible for coordinating care and support provided for all of the FDNY families. She later served as president of the Tribute World Trade Center Visitor Center erected on the fifth anniversary of 9/11. Tierney said, “Being a firefighter is the greatest job in the world, a noble institution, and I was proud to have been there for them and their families in the best of times and the worst of times.”

Daren Graves, Boothbay Harbor Rotarian and co-chair of this year’s Hometown Heroes Dinner said, “We’re very thankful to the Spruce Point Inn for their generous donation and we’re all really excited about this opportunity to hear Lynn talk about her incredible 40-year emergency management career including stories from 9/11, hijackings, airplane crashes and the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. She’s also agreed to talk with us about some of the life lessons she’s learned over the years. She knows, perhaps better than anyone I’ve ever met, why it’s so important for communities like ours to do everything we can in support of our first responders and their families.”

The cost is $25 per person and includes dinner. Refreshments will be served at 6 p.m., and dinner will be served at 6:30 p.m. Registration before Sept. 4 is required. To register, call Daren Graves at 380-3551 or Debbie Graves at 380-3550.