9/11 Stairs
110 Flights Of Stairs, 343 Firefighters: The 22nd Anniversary Of 9/11 can be Marked By Steps
On the anniversary of the attack on the World Trade Center, you can take part in your own tribute to those heroes and local heroes.
You can also join my Stairs ‘n Steps 4-EVER challenge and be part of this tribute.
During the challenge you will choose to do 78, 110 floors, 343 floors or tag team it with a challenge buddy. You can complete this in one day or during the challenge. Make it a doable goal that stretches your current step goal. It’s about steps, stairs, and cardio minutes this month.
The numbers (78, 110, 343) are significant — 343 New York City Fire Department first responders died at Ground Zero that day trying to climb the 110 flights of stairs to save people during an unimaginable event. 78 is the highest floor that firefighters made it to in the towers that day. Many of us lived through this and can remember where we were when the planes hit; then the towers fell. It was like generations before us who lived through Pearl Harbor. These events unified us. It collectively hurt and saddened us. This challenge can be a great memorial to those who step in a harms way to keep us safe and never forget.
I went on a mission trip after 9/11 to support a local agency NYSUM (New York School of Urban Ministry) who was inundated with calls for help and supplies after this national tragedy. The “hole” or “ground zero” is burned in my brain. I had the opportunity to walk the perimeter and see all the tributes, photos, personal mementos and meet many of the people working to clean up the debris and locate the bodies. All work came to a stop when a body part was found and taken out of the hole. I had the opportunity to pray with and listen to countless stories of those in New York who survived as they recounted their personal stories. We were them to listen, hug, encourage, grieve with, and love those people. It has made a lasting impression on me. I currently work with someone who was living in New York when this happened and have listened to his personal story of finding his wife in the midst of this chaos on the street. His eyewitness account has given me chills and is a reminder that we all have been touched by this event. If you were born after 9/11, do some research, learn about recent history and the evil that is in this world. Arm yourselves with the truth of God’s Word and remember that freedom is not free. You do not need to live in fear, because the ultimate victory has been won by Jesus Christ’s life, death, and resurrection.
Another reason I want to do this challenge, to keep that memory alive and support those who were eyewitnesses to this horrific tragedy.
So, back to the Stairs ‘n Steps 4-EVER Challenge. When you are doing your memorial stairs this September, please think about the person you're climbing for. Look into those who lost their lives and climb for them. You need to clear your mind like those that lost their lives and do the flights. This can be a great motivation and tribute. Do this for them, for your own health, for America. Find a reason to pull you in and motivate you in this challenge. I’d love to hear who you are climbing for and your personal motivation to complete this challenge.
“The mission of the FDNY members on September 11th was to climb those stairs while rescuing people and to potentially fight fire when they got up in the upper floors,” said Oren Bersagel-Briese, division chief of training for the Castlerock fire and rescue department. “That's a level of physical exertion that we can't even remotely comprehend, but the climb is not easy, it's meant to make you remember some of the efforts that they went through.”
“Whenever there's a firefighter loss of life, we all feel it,” said Bersagel-Briese, who is a fourth-generation firefighter.
“On a day like September 11th that impacted all of us to our core, with us in the fire service, it's even a more personal sense of loss, I think.” Justin Brown with the Aurora Fire Rescue In CO.
For firefighters, the stair climb offers a way to engage with a personal sense of loss in a way that a ceremony might not provide. Climb in honor of someone and do it for fallen heroes.
“It's a way to physically represent and uphold how we say never to forget,” Bersagel-Briese said. “You know the further we get away from the events of September 11th, the more it's important to share the stories of what those guys did on that day and to share the stories of the sacrifices their families have made since then.”
What those first responders did on September 11th is what every firefighter is prepared to do when they start their shift. It’s about laying down their lives for the people who need them.
Who’s in? Join my challenge and Parton this great memorial tribute. FIRE fighters can join for free!!!