GOLDEN, Colo. — Coloradans from all walks of life walked the steps at Red Rocks Amphitheater Friday morning to honor the lives of first responders lost during the 9/11 attacks.
The climbers, who arrived at the amphitheater early in the day, had to complete the amphitheater’s 380 steps several times to equal the over 2,000 steps in the 110 flights of stairs that firefighters had to ascend in the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center that fateful Tuesday morning.
Denver7 reporter Alex Dowd was there and has more on this year's climb in the video below:
Each year, several first responders don over 70 pounds of gear before climbing the starts at Red Rocks. It’s a tradition firefighters join in even, if they say they don’t remember the tragedy.
“I was still in diapers when it happened,” said 26-year-old Fort Lupton Fire Protection District firefighter Evan Wilson. “As a new generation of firefighters comes up— me included — we got to keep the tradition going and keep remembering those guys.”
Denver was an early adopter of the 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb, hosting one each year since 2005.
The first five firefighters met in downtown Denver, climbing 110 flights of stairs in their full firefighting gear in memory of Fire Department of New York firefighters who were killed four years earlier.
The Denver 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb grew the next year, reaching hundreds by 2007. In 2008, each climber was assigned a badge with the name and a photograph of a fallen firefighter.
As the waitlist for Denver climb grew, several West Metro Firefighters established the Memorial Stair Climb at Red Rocks.
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The Denver-area climbs are two of dozens across the country. The purpose is remembrance, supporting the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation and the Fire Department of the City of New York’s Counseling Service Unit.
Organizers for the Colorado 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb say that donations to 9/11-related charities have declined with time and distance. The need is still increasing.
To support those families, organizers hope to keep the tradition alive for years to come.
