By Megan Wehring
KYLE – 110 flights. 2,200 steps.
On Sept. 11, 2022, Kyle firefighters participated in an annual stair climb to honor those who gave the ultimate sacrifice 21 years ago. The firefighters completed the climb with gear, or extra weight, a hose bundle, and the fallen heroes' names.
Kyle firefighters are joined by Fire Academy cadets, family and friends to participate in a 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb. w
“Putting on the gear felt different and much more significant today,” a Kyle Fire Department Facebook post said on Sunday. “It was a somber reminder that today marks twenty-one years since the day that reshaped America. … 110 flights; 2,200 steps.”
The first “9/11 Memorial Stair Climb” occurred in Parwan Province, Afghanistan, on Sept. 11, 2003, when Albuquerque Fire Department Lieutenant Charles Cogburn scaled a two-story building 55 times wearing body armor, a helmet and an M-4. Lt. Cogburn returned home and on the following Sept. 11th (2004), the climb was held in the United States for the first time, according to the Association of Memorial Stair Climbs.
In 2010, the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation reached out to the founders of the 2005 Denver event to develop a protocol to hold similar events across the country. The Nashville 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb was held on Sept. 11, 2010 and was the first to fall under the NFFF. Redwood City (CA) also held its first event in 2010.
A 9/11 memorial stair climb is not a race. It’s an enduring, active tribute to the fallen.
On the tenth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks in 2011, over 40 climbs were held across the nation. Climb participants honor the first responders (343+ firefighters, 70+ law enforcement officers, 9+ EMS) who were killed on Sept. 11, 2001, by climbing the equivalent of 110 floors (the height of the former World Trade Center Twin Towers) while carrying the name and picture of one of the fallen.
“These climbs typically occur in medium-to-high-rise buildings or stadiums and either involve only active-duty public safety personnel OR a mix of police, fire, EMS, and the general public,” according to the Association of Memorial Stair Climbs. “Some climbs have successfully raised financial support for beneficiaries who provide support to those left behind after a line-of-duty death, while other events wish to remain a memorial event with no fundraising component. Most, if not all climbs, wish to retain local control while receiving the administrative support necessary to hold these events.”
