Title
Recognize members of the Rock Hill Fire Department who participated in 9-11 Memorial Stair Climb.
Body
On Sept 11, 2011 ten members of the Rock Hill Department participated in a 9-11 Memorial Stair Climb hosted by the Charlotte Fire Department. The memorial stair climb first appeared in Denver on 9-11-2005 in which a handful of firefighters climbed 110 floors. The 110 floors represented the height of each Trade Center Tower. It was done in an effort to assist the National Fallen Firefighter Foundation in awareness and financial support. The mission of the National Fallen Firefighter Foundation is to honor and remember American fallen firefighters and to provide resources to assist their survivors in rebuilding theirs lives.
The idea of memorial stair climbs quickly grew and each year saw more stair climbs with more participants. A 9-11 stair climb group was created and a mission of honoring and remembering those lost on 9-11 was developed. With this year marking the tenth anniversary of 9-11, a greater emphasis was placed on the stair climb. More than 46 cities hosted a stair climb with each city trying to register 343 Firefighters, 60 Police Officers, and 10 EMS works. These numbers matching those first responders lost on 9-11.
Sept 11, 2011 saw firefighters, police officers and EMS workers from all over the Carolinas show up to honor their fallen comrades. Participants prepared to climb the 110 floors in everything from t-shirts and shorts to swat gear, turnout gear and air-packs. However, before they could climb there was one more thing to carry. Each participant was given the honor of wearing the name and photo of one fallen comrade around their neck, along with the opportunity of saying their name and ringing a bell before each person began to climb. Participants were placed in groups of at least four climbers because we never do anything by ourselves. This was no race, no run, but a memorial to remember, to honor and to finish what so many started and never had the chance to complete.
This year Rock Hill Fire Department climbers were:
Jason Dillon Will Atkins
Jaime Mathewson Adam Aguirre
Matt Kecken Ronnie Fortner
Frank Plate Ben Grant
Jason Reddick Josh Honeycutt