First responders from across the region climbed the equivalent of 110 stories at Red Hawk Resort + Casino on Friday morning, coming together to honor the firefighters, law enforcement officers, emergency personnel and civilians who lost their lives in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
The annual 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb took on added significance this year as the nation marked the 25th anniversary of the attacks. Firefighters, law enforcement officers and other first responders gathered inside Red Hawk’s parking garage for the physically demanding climb, retracing in symbolic fashion the journey taken by emergency personnel who headed up the stairwells of the World Trade Center as thousands of people were trying to escape.
The 110-story climb represented the height of the World Trade Center towers and served as a tribute to those who continued climbing toward danger that morning to reach people trapped above.
Personnel from multiple agencies and organizations participated in Friday’s remembrance, including the El Dorado County Fire Protection District, CAL FIRE’s Amador-El Dorado Unit, El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office, U.S. Forest Service’s Eldorado National Forest and Tribal Fire of the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians.
Before participants began the climb, Sierra Chaplaincy Executive Director and Senior Chaplain Lloyd Ogan offered a prayer of remembrance for those who died and those whose lives were forever changed by the attacks.
The gathering was both a physical challenge and an act of remembrance, with participants making the climb together in recognition of the courage, service and sacrifice demonstrated by first responders on Sept. 11.
On Sept. 11, 2001, 343 members of the New York City Fire Department, 23 New York City police officers and 37 Port Authority police officers were among the nearly 3,000 people killed in the attacks. Many firefighters and other emergency personnel entered the World Trade Center towers and began climbing crowded stairwells toward those needing assistance while civilians evacuated in the opposite direction.
Memorial stair climbs have since become a tradition across the country, with firefighters and other first responders climbing 110 stories or an equivalent number of stairs in memory of those who answered the call that morning and never returned home.
Friday’s event brought that tradition to the foothills, where personnel from several public safety agencies stood together a quarter century after the attacks.
The remembrance also extended beyond the stairwell. As part of the event, representatives from Red Hawk Resort + Casino presented a donation to the Firefighters Burn Institute in honor of the memorial climb. Firefighters Burn Institute Executive Director Joe Pick accepted the donation on behalf of the organization.
The Firefighters Burn Institute is a Sacramento-based nonprofit organization that supports burn treatment, recovery, rehabilitation, prevention and education programs.
For the first responders taking part Friday, the climb provided a local opportunity to remember the sacrifices made in New York City 25 years ago while recognizing the bonds that continue to connect the fire service, law enforcement and emergency response community.
The event was hosted by Red Hawk Resort + Casino, which is owned by the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians and is located in the Sierra Nevada foothills near Placerville.
Twenty-five years after the attacks, Friday’s 110-story climb continued a remembrance centered on those who ran toward danger, those who never returned and the legacy of service left behind by the first responders of Sept. 11, 2001.
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