Climbing the stairs for fallen 9/11 firefighters
Greater Columbus firefighters and others pay tributes Firefighters from Greater Columbus departments descend the stadium steps Saturday at the Fortress Obetz 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb held to pay tribute to the 343 firefighters and other first respo
When Brayden Carlson first learned about the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in elementary school, the image of New York City firefighters and other emergency responders rushing to rescue victims from the burning twin towers of the World Trade Center stuck with him.
He knew that he wanted to become a firefighter when he grew up. Born in Hilliard just two months after the attacks, the 19-year-old, having recently completed his fire and emergency medical technician training, is now getting ready to start his first firefighter job.
On Saturday, the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Carlson joined more than 300 Greater Columbus firefighters and other community supporters at Fortress Obetz stadium to pay tributes to the FDNY firefighters and other first responders who lost their lives in the collapse of the World Trade Center’s twin towers
Climbers, including firefighters in full gear, made eight rounds across the stadium stairs – the rough equivalent to climbing the 110 stories of the World Trade Center towers
“The firefighters were entering a building when everyone was jumping out, and they made the ultimate sacrifice while trying to save as many people as they could,” Carlson said. “I could only hope to do something that great myself.”
The Obetz stair climb was among a number of 9/11 memorial events held on Patriot Day around Greater Columbus this weekend. Columbus held a 20th Anniversary Remembrance Ceremony on Saturday at the National Veterans Memorial and Museum, Downtown. Madison Township Fire Department hosted a 9/11 remembrance event for the Groveport area that featured four speakers who were at Ground Zero in New York City.
At First Responders Park in Hilliard, where artifacts from the World Trade Center attack are on display and tours were offered by Norwich Township firefighters, the Transportation Security Administration presented the Ohio Federal Security Director’s Patriot Award to 24 officers from across Ohio. Following a 9/11 remembrance in Marysville, three new lieutenants to the city’s fire department were sworn in. The Leasureblackston American Legion Post 239 hosted a 9/11 remembrance in Worthington featuring music and speakers.
Westerville planned special observances on Saturday and Sunday at 7:30 p.m. at First Responders Park, 374 W. Main St.
And 2,977 small U.S. flags for each of the people killed in the 9/11 terrorist attacks that were planted on the west lawn of the Ohio Statehouse on Thursday by the Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board and volunteers will remain on display until noon Monday.
Shawn Stauffer, 42 who was among the climbers Saturday at the Fortress Obetz event, started his job at the Plain Township Fire Department in New Albany exactly 20 years ago. He found out about the 9/11 attacks when he was taking the physical ability test for firefighters.
“I was just as shocked as everyone else and we didn’t know what it was at first,” he said. “We went on to finish the test, and then we saw the fires, the buildings start collapsing, and we knew a lot of firefighters died.”
Stauffer added that 9/11 was just one example of the life-threatening situations that firefighters face on a daily basis.
“Every fire is risky,” he said. “I’ve been in a number of dangerous situations, but we all know the risk going into it, and I just like serving the community.”
Besides the apparent safety risk, firefighters and their families also have to deal with a wide range of other mental and physical challenges, according to Lori Mercer, founder of 24-7 Commitment, a nonprofit serving first responders
and their spouses across Ohio and the organizer of the memorial stair climb.
Mercer, 48, used to be married to a firefighter and knows first-hand the emotional toll that such a demanding profession could take on a family.
First responders often suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, high suicide rates and the risk of getting cancer, she said. Two women in her group lost their husbands, one to line-of-duty death and the other to suicide.
Moreover, due to the long work hours and overnight shifts, many firefights do not have much time to spend with their spouses, leading to a greater chance of
divorce, according to Mercer.
“There are still residual physical and emotional issues from what happened 20 years ago,” Mercer said. “And it’s way more than 9/11. It’s every day that they are on their job.”
Ryan Garcia, a 42-year-old veteran and Lewis Center resident, was one of the first to finish the hour-long Obetz stair climb. A number of his friends were sent to Afghanistan shortly following the 9/11 attacks and lost their lives there, he said.
In light of the recent withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, he said he was glad that those serving there can now return to their families.
“The war’s been going on long enough. They needed to get out of there and be with their families,” Garcia said. “There’s so much going on right now and a lot of divides in our country, but I think our country is slowly healing day by day, and starting to become more and more like one family.”
Yilun Cheng is a Report for America corps member and covers immigration issues for the Dispatch. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep her writing stories like this one. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation at https://bit.ly/3fnsgaz. ycheng@dispatch.com @Chengyilun