Stepping up for those lost
FIREFIGHTERS AND OTHERS COMPLETE MEMORIAL CLIMB
Firefighters, police and members of the community took part in a gruelling climb on Sunday to honour the lives of those lost in the line of duty at the World Trade Centre.
It was the seventh annual Lethbridge Firefighters 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb at the Lethbridge Centre Tower stairs.
The goal was to retrace the ascent and descent of the 110 storeys of the WTC, as it stood before crumbling down after the terrorist attack on Sept. 11, 2001. Along with thousands of civilians, 343 firefighters and 70 law enforcement members perished.
“As far as I know we’re the only one in Canada that does the whole 110 storeys up and down, and we’re the longest running. So we’re pretty excited to keep doing it,” said Lethbridge firefighter Mark Matheson. “Having the public come out is great because it creates more awareness for us. That’s our goal.”
It all began on the 10th anniversary of 9/11, explained Matheson. A handful of local firefighters came to the stairs because they felt the awareness was waning about what happened.
“It’s just grown over the years,” he said. “Now we climb for more than just the people we lost on Sept. 11, 2001. We climb for everyone that we’ve lost in the line of duty, not just firefighters but we have police and EMS here as well as dispatchers. We’re all one big community and we want to remember our fallen.”
Before the climb began, Matheson called for everyone to “do a lap” in memory of Cypress County volunteer firefighter James Hargrave who died while battling the wildfire near Hilda last week.
Holding an event such as this brings everyone together for a fun event and a good cause, said Matheson.
“It is a little bit sombre because we have time to reflect about friends and people that we’ve lost, but we also make new friends every year,” he said.
It was the third year climbing for Lethbridge firefighter Drew Ginther. He said he wanted the experience of what it was like for those first responders in 9/11. He was one of many who suited up in full gear for the difficult trek.
“I think it’s a mental game,” said Ginther. “It gets to be long. You make it to the top and then you’ve got to come all the way back down again. But being able to do it with a group of people makes it a lot easier.”
All money raised from the event goes to the Tema Conter Memorial Trust, a national charity to support first responders and military as well as their families in the prevention and support for posttraumatic stress disorder.
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