Two Florida students climbed 100 flights of stairs to honor the victims who perished in the 9/11 attacks 18 years ago.
Polk County Public Schools posted a photo on its Facebook page of Bartow High’s Medical and Fire Academy students Samuel Martin and Devin Turner, who participated in the 2019 Memorial Stair Climb:
The event is held every year on the anniversary of 9/11 and calls for firefighters around the country to climb 110 flights of stairs to honor those who lost their lives on 9/11.
While resting between flights, the students recited the names of the 343 firefighters killed in the World Trade Center attacks.
“We go through the history of the fire service, and 9/11 is a focal point in that history. We keep this day at the forefront when talking about loss,” Kozette Hubbard, a BHS Medical and Fire Academy instructor, told Fox 35 Orlando.
“I am very proud of these young men and the fact that they did this on their own. We push our cadets to be forward thinkers and always remember service to others before self … this is just a small snapshot of what the cadets are capable of,” Hubbard added.
People around the country, other than firefighters, have performed memorial stair climbs in honor of the New York City firefighters who were killed.
In Colorado, thousands of people gathered at Red Rocks amphitheater to complete nine laps around the amphitheater–the equivalent of 110 flights of stairs–to raise money for programs such as the FDNY counseling services unit and other programs to help the families of fallen firefighters rebuild from tragedy.
Some of the firefighters who attended completed the nine laps in full gear.