VIDEO: A 110-floor stair climb. It’s how they remember on a day we, collectively as a nation, are told to never forget. Nearly 400 firefighters from across the Sacramento region and around California gathered at the Esquire Plaza Tower in downtown Sacramento Thursday to commemorate 24 years since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The powerful remembrance has crews climbing up and down the building’s 22 stories five times.
“Makes you lucky to be alive,” said Sacramento Fire Department firefighter Aaron Williams. “They paid the ultimate sacrifice that day, so we get a brief moment to honor them and everything goes silent, all the pains go away, but just feel very lucky to be here.” Banners affixed to 343 of the firefighters’ turnout coats bear the names of the 343 fire service members who died at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11.
When their climb is complete, each firefighter carrying a name gets the opportunity to hang it on a special memorial structure atop the building’s roof as a bell is tolled. KCRA 3 was granted the exclusive opportunity to tackle the climb alongside the firefighters in order to learn more about it and the various reasons those participating choose to complete it each year.
