Sponsored by North Lincoln Professional Firefighters local 5169 over a dozen firefighters trudged up and down a flight of wooden stairs near the North beach entrance at Chinook Winds Casino and Resort to participate in a 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb.  Because, in their words, “…we climb (these) stairs in tribute to the brave first responders who made the ultimate sacrifice. This event honors their heroism and commemorates the lives lost 23 years ago.”

The event began with a dedication ceremony followed by presentation of colors by Scout troop 47 who also made a ceremonial climb on the steps.

Then the pros began the repetitive movements up and down, up and down, up and down the steps from the asphalt walkway to the sandy beach below.

The humidity from the early morning rains mixed with a warm breeze coming from the Pacific was an extra burden for these heroes to bear.

Some wore partial gear, some wore street clothes and more than one firefighter donned full gear including oxygen tank. No one was being paid.  This wasn’t a required training exercise  This was a labor of love and respect for those comrades that had fallen, not fallen because they couldn’t hack the climb, but because two entire skyscrapers collapsed upon their heads and claimed their lives.

The men and women participating in the Tribute Climb know that they could be called at any time to similar circumstances and it’s clear from their dedication to this moment that they too would not hesitate.

According to a post on the Local’s Facebook page,  “Climb all or part of the 2200 steps -110 floors (those) responders climbed. We’ll be there with you the whole time! Challenge yourself to climb all or some of the flights of stairs (those) responders climbed to rescue and provide aid to the victims trapped in the towers.”

Having witnessed two major fires in our small town in the last few weeks I believe we can all offer a thank you to our firefighters and other first responders.