Local fire departments will be participating in 9/11 memorial
Firefighters from local fire departments will be participating in a 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb September 11 at 8:30 a.m. at Vicksburg High School’s football stadium.
The event is put on by the Kalamazoo Chapter of the Fraternal Order Of Leatherheads Society (Kzoo F.O.O.L.S.).
Participants will walk up and down the steps at the VHS football stadium totaling 2,200 stairs, equaling the number of steps firefighters climbed to reach the highest point in the Twin Towers they got to on 9/11, the 78th floor.
Some firefighters at the Memorial Stair Climb have their own personal way to remember firefighters that lost their lives rescuing people at the Twin Towers.
Some firefighters wear full firefighter gear including a Scott Air Pack (self contained breathing apparatus) on their back just like the brave firefighters did at the Twin Towers on 9/11.
Pavilion Township Fire Chief Carl Poenicke said as the group of firefighters were climbing stairs last year, Climax Township firefighter Russ Audette read the names of all 343 names of firefighters who lost their lives at the World Trade Center twin towers September 11, 2001 on the public address speaker at the stadium.
Audette, who will not be participating in the climb this year, said he plans to read the names again during the memorial climb.
“It definitely is (an important day to remember) and that’s why we continue to it on the day, 9/11. A lot of other climbs do it either the weekend before or the weekend after 9/11 to get more people involved, which is fine. But we feel that day is kind of like our December 7 (Pearl Harbor attack). It’s our day that lives in infamy and we will continue to climb on that day as long as we’ve got people to climb,” said Poenicke.
Poenicke adds as time goes on, it has been discovered many medical first responders, police and firefighters who worked at the Twin Towers site have developed cancer or died from cancer, making it important to remember them as well at the 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb.
“We feel we’re going to keep doing it on September 11 as long as we can,” adds Poenicke.
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