Lethbridge firefighters, emergency personnel and community members climbed more than 100 flights of stairs Sunday in memory of first responders who lost their lives in the World Trade Center during 9/11.
The ninth annual Lethbridge 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb had participants climbing the Melcor Centre Tower 10 times to simulate the 110 storeys first responders would have had to climb to get to the top of the World Trade Center.
“We try to memorialize everyone that we lost by retracing the steps of the old World Trade Centre… before the attacks,” said Mark Matheson, a Lethbridge firefighter and the founder of the event.
The stair climb honours the 343 firefighters and 70 law enforcement members that died doing their jobs that day.
“I think most of us can remember where we were when we heard that the towers were hit,” said Arynne Tran, a public safety communications specialist with the City of Lethbridge. “It hits a little bit closer to home when we’re part of the emergency services family.
“It’s very symbolic. It’s very, very somber. We’re climbing because our fallen brothers and sisters can’t climb anymore.”
Although this particular event is focused primarily on 9/11, Matheson noted that it goes beyond that — it’s a memorial for all the firefighters and emergency personnel that have ever risked or lost their lives on the job.
Money raised by the event will go to the Legacy Place Society, a charity that provides support for first responders, military personnel and their families.