For most Americans, it has taken days, weeks, months, years to fully understand and process the context of Sept. 11. But the most important thing to remember is that a lot of people died, and many of them were first responders.
To remember those people, and to honor the sacrifice that they made on that fateful day, Casper’s firefighters and other first responders participate in the 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb. For years, first responders have gathered at the Ford Wyoming Center on the anniversary on Sept. 11 to honor those men and women who lost their lives to save others.
“It’s one of the most important things we do as a fire department,” Herron told Oil City News. “It means a lot that we’re able to. It’s a really powerful, emotional ceremony for people who made the ultimate sacrifice.”
Burgen agrees, and he says that while climbing a staircase at the Ford Wyoming Center is completely different than running into a burning building, it’s the least that he and his fellow firefighters can do to remember those who ran into the fire, never knowing if they would be coming out.
“A way for us to honor these people is by climbing those stairs for the 343 firemen that died,” he said. “343 firemen ran into a building, trying to save as many people as they could. And policemen, EMTs, everybody — everybody was just trying to do what they could. And one of the great ways to honor those who have been lost is climbing those stairs.”
