ROANOKE, Va. – In downtown Roanoke, hundreds of people gathered by the Wells Fargo Building to take part in the 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb, honoring those who paid the ultimate sacrifice on the September 11 attacks.
“It’s really amazing to see the community come together on common ground,” Roanoke Fire Department Public Information Officer Hope Escobar said. “Just to remember those who made the sacrifice on 9/11, protecting others and putting others before themselves.”
Participants climbed up 22 flights of stairs a total of five times, equaling 110 total stories, the same height as the World Trade Center Towers.
Participants also wore a badge with the name and picture of a fallen first responder. After all the climb was completed, participants would ring a bell and speak out the name of the first responder they represented.
“We said we’d never forget,” Hardy Volunteer Company 12 Fire Chief John Foley said. “This is part of it. We’ll never forget. This is in remembrance of that.”
A number of firefighters made the journey up, many of whom were dressed in full gear.
Mark Nygard of Hillsville Fire Department says that this makes the climb a bit more real, giving him and his fellow firefighters some extra motivation to push through the climb.
“Just to get a feel, which is not even a tenth of what they felt on that day,” Nylander said. “It gives us a feel and a sense of realism as to what they felt on that horrible morning of September 11th.”
Money was also raised for the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, which provides programs such as grief counseling, scholarships, and retreats for families of fallen firefighters.