Fire crews climb to honor the fallen

Captain Travis Cramer of the Marshfield Fire Protection District carries a memorial hose during Monday's stair climb. Written on the hose are the names of each of the 343 firefighters who passed on 9/11 as well as local service men who have been lost, including Webster County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Justin Burney, MFPD Deputy Chief Ed Noland and MFPD Lt. Matt Blankenship. Photos by August Thoms

MFPD crews reflect in silence as they complete the stair climb in memory of firefighters who were unable to complete their mission 22 years ago.

Members of the Logan-Rogersville Fire Protection District are pictured at Monday's stair clumb in remembrance of 9/11. Logan-Rogersville crews climbed 2,200 stairs – 52 trips up and down at the high school football stadium. Contributed photos

Crews were fully dressed as they completed the stair climb in Rogersville during Monday's remembrance of 9/11.

Posted Saturday, September 23, 2023 2:00 am

By Shelby Atkison shelbya@marshfieldmail.com

The 9/11 Memorial Stair Climbs honor FDNY firefighters who made the ultimate sacrifice.

The Marshfield Fire Protection District and the Logan-Rogersville Fire Departments took time to reflect on the events of Sept. 11 22 years ago by participating in a memorial stair climb. They climbed the equivalent of 110 floors at their respective football stadiums in honor of those who lost their lives in 2001, and in continued honor of our first responders and military who protect us from foreign and domestic threats.

“This is something we do every year. One of the tag lines that came out of that day was that we will never forget. So every year this is our way of remembering and honoring those that passed, especially from emergency services,” said Captain Andrew Blanton, who organized the Marshfield climb. “Everybody participates for their own personal reasons and I think a lot of us feel from the firefighter standpoint, that every firefighter wants to complete their mission when they start. So for us, we climb 110 stories for the guys that were unable to finish their mission that day.”

The World Trade Center's Twin Towers each consisted of 110 floors and 2,071 steps, and each year hundreds of thousands of people across the nation walk, climb and run the stairs to remember those lost. Firefighters in full gear, Police, Military and Bomb Squad personnel march steadily alongside civilians of varying ages, abilities and backgrounds.

“It’s cool to see so much participation right here at home,” he added. “Several of the family members of our firefighters participated as well. It’s just something that we truly will never forget.”