WEYMOUTH - There are 33 photos of fire hydrants on a poster called ‘‘A Fireman's Friend.'' The hydrants are all different, just like the firefighters from Engine 54 in Manhattan who died on Sept. 11, 2001.

Matthew Gill, a Weymouth resident and former freelance reporter for The Patriot Ledger, is selling the posters to raise money for the surviving members of Engine 54. His 34-year-old cousin, Paul Gill, a firefighter, did not survive. Neither did 14 others.

Gill photographed most of the hydrants in South Shore towns - Weymouth, Braintree and Scituate, to name a few. One is red and silver. Another is red and yellow. Another is red, silver and yellow.

‘‘After Sept. 11, I thought that maybe I could use this,'' said Gill, 27. ‘‘I couldn't do anything while I was in China. I couldn't be with my family, and I couldn't grieve with them. After Sept. 11, the idea came that maybe when I get home I could finish the poster up and use it in some way to help out Paul's station and family.''

Gill admits that he started late on the fund-raiser, but has his reasons. On Sept. 11, 2001, he was an English teacher in China. He didn't return to the United States until last June.

His goal is to raise $5,000 for the surviving members of the station that houses Engine 54, Ladder 4 and Battalion 9. The money would be for the firefighters to do with as they please.

He has sold about 400 posters, most from his Weymouth home. He figures he needs to sell about 200 more to cover his printing costs and have $5,000 left to give to the fire station.

The station is at 48th Street and 8th Avenue.

‘‘Most of the guys, including myself, didn't really know Matthew,'' New York City firefighter Dave Turner wrote in an E-mail. Paul Gill's father, John Gill, ‘‘got a hold of me and told me about the posters and what Matthew was doing. I thought it was a fine idea.''

Turner wrote a letter to Gill endorsing the project. When Gill raises the money, he wants to go to New York City to present a check at the firehouse.

The poster has been around since the inauguration of Weymouth Mayor David Madden in 2000, when Gill gave it to him as a gift.

He started taking photos of the hydrants while he was in college at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth. He said he was driving around and just happened to notice how hydrants are different. He decided to start snapping pictures of them.

After he built up a large collection, he thought about assembling them into a poster as a gift for Madden, who was Weymouth's fire chief before becoming mayor. So he designed the poster and had it printed.

After graduating, Gill joined AmeriCorps for a year, then decided in April 2001 to move to China to teach English. After the terrorist attack on New York City occurred, Gill missed being with his family and missed the memorial service for Paul Gill, at which then-New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani spoke.

John Gill said the poster fund-raiser is extra special to him because it's the work of a family member.

‘‘If this is how he wants to honor Paul and raise money for the firehouse, that's great,'' he said. ‘‘What Matthew is doing is an honor to my son. I think Matthew needs to fill a need inside himself. I'm sure it helps him with his grief as well.''

Some of Matthew Gill's grief seems to have changed into excitement. He certainly thinks of his cousin every day, but perhaps his uncle is right. Perhaps the fund-raiser has helped him move on.

‘‘When I get it all together, I'll go down there with the check and the framed poster,'' Gill said. ‘‘It will be awesome.''

Where to buy posters:

‘‘A Fireman's Friend'' posters, which are 19 inches by 27 inches, are being sold at Frantic Framers and Photo Quick in Quincy, Doughboy Police and Fire Supply in Weymouth and the University of Massachusetts bookstore in North Dartmouth.

Matthew Gill also is selling the posters directly, for $15, plus $3 for shipping and handling. To buy a poster by mail, write to: Matthew Gill/Fireman's Friend, 99 Thompson Road, Weymouth 02191. Gill can be phoned at 781-331-0634 or E-mailed at matthewgillusa@hotmail.com.