Firefighters preparing for annual Stair Climb event
The eighth annual Lethbridge 9-11 Memorial Stair Climb will take place Sept. 9 at the Lethbridge Centre Tower.
About 100 participants are expected to take part in the event, which pays tribute to the first responders and victims who died in the 9-11 attacks. Of the 2,977 victims who died that day, 412 were emergency responders, 343 of those were firefighters.
It’s a sobering statistic which Lethbridge Fire and EMS event organizer Mark Matheson says must always be foremost in mind for those taking part in the Stair Climb.
“We try to observe that day so we don’t forget it,” said Matheson, who spoke to local media about the event Monday at Fire Station No. 2.
“It has been 17 years now since 9-11 when we do (this Stair Climb) and all assemble. The end goal is to just remember all the first responders and victims of that day. In Canada, we go the highest distance on this climb,” he added, “and we have been running it the longest; this being our eighth year. So there is a bit of pride there for us.”
Those taking part in the Lethbridge 9-11 Memorial Stair Climb go up and down the Lethbridge Centre Tower 10 times to accurately portray the time and distance it would have taken firefighters on 9-11 to climb the burning 110 storey towers. The firefighters taking part usually wear their full 55pound of turnout gear to complete the challenge, but those signing up from the general public can come in as light as they want and go at their own pace, said Matheson.
“We actually have more community members climbing than first responders; so that is really exciting as well,” he said
There is a $40 entry fee for those coming out, which will be donated to the Legacy Place Society.
“They provide resources and support for first responders and military (personnel) suffering from PTSD and crisis,” explained Matheson of the Albertabased non-profit group. “We have some members within Lethbridge which have used the resources; so we are pretty excited to give back to the organization.”
Last year, 100 climbers took part in the Memorial Stair Climb and raised $7,200 for charity. Those interested in signing up for this year’s event can go to raceroster.com/events/201 8/18431/lethbridge-9-11memorial-stairclimb.