GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The annual Grand Rapids 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb returned to LMCU Ballpark on Saturday.
The annual memorial is part of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation and honors the firefighters of the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY) on Sept. 11, 2001.
West Michigan firefighters and community members paid tribute to an FDNY firefighter by climbing 2,200 steps.
The Grand Rapids 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb will represent "110 stories of the World Trade Center—not only remembering the sacrifice of an FDNY brother but symbolically completing the heroic journey to save others."
"It feels surreal because we know that those firefighters did not have any elevators to go up," said the Fire and Life Safety Educator at Plainfield Fire Department Jessica Herrington. "They were climbing 110 flights of stairs with packs on and high rise packs on, just to find those people that needed their help."
The event began with opening ceremonies at 9 a.m. on Saturday, followed by the stair climb at 9:15 a.m.
Participants received an honorary badge of one of the fallen heroes of September 11th.
“The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation’s (NFFF) 9/11 Memorial Stair Climbs are an opportunity for anyone in the community to demonstrate respect and admiration for these courageous firefighters who gave their lives trying to save others,” said NFFF CEO Victor Stagnaro. “It’s also a way to promise their loved ones that we will always remember.”
Over 400 first responders died on September 11th, with the far majority being firefighters. A total of 343 firefighters lost their lives on that day.
