9/11 hero Welles Crowther's firehouse president reveals what shaped the 'man in the red bandana'

When President Donald Trump awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously to Welles Crowther for his heroism during the 9/11 terrorist attack during a Tuesday ceremony, Crowther's mother Alison specifically mentioned the Upper Nyack, New York, volunteer firehouse where Welles got his training."Welles...would not have been able to do what he did as effectively on 9/11 if it had not been for the training and experience he gained as a member of Empire Hook and Ladder Company Number One of Upper Nyack," she said.Crowther, as Empire Hook and Ladder Company Number One president David "Trevor" Gottlieb explained to Fox News Digital, was forged in the volunteer firehouse's traditions of community and sacrifice.FIRST ON FOX: TRUMP’S 9/11 TRIBUTE TO FEATURE MASSIVE PIECE OF GROUND ZERO HISTORY AT WHITE HOUSE"I joined in '88, he was five years younger than me so probably '93 is when he first started," Gottlieb told Fox News Digital.Welles Crowther at Empire Hook and Ladder Company No.

1 in Upper Nyack, New York.(Robert McGreevy/Fox News)"I was still away in college.

I came back and worked with him from '93 on.Volunteer fire service is usually multi-generational, and Welles' father, Jefferson, was an ex-captain.

He was our treasurer, just, you know, part of the fabric of the company.Kid's been coming down here since he could walk," Gottlieb said.In the 25 years since the terrorist attacks on 9/11, Crowther's story has become something of a legend.

Known as the "man in the red bandana," Crowther carried a red bandana on his wallet while working as a stockbroker in the South Tower.When the attack struck, he immediately leapt to action, helping usher people to safety as the building burned around him."Welles Crowther was in the towers.

He was working for a trading firm that day.And he assisted with the rescue of at least 18, I think was the final count they got.

Eighteen civilians that he helped lead to safety and ultimately lost his life doing that," Gottlieb sai...