Eastern Iowa Firefighters Pay Tribute to Lives Lost on 9/11 in Huge Way

Nearly a dozen Cedar Rapids firefighters took it upon themselves to follow-through with a daunting yet appropriate challenge in remembrance of the many victims, in particular firefighters, who died when responding to the World Trade Center towers on September 11th, 2001.

For the 23rd anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks that claimed the lives of 343 New York firefighters, 11 Cedar Rapids firefighters climbed 110 flights at the Alliant Energy tower in town.

In full-gear, first thing Wednesday morning, the firefighters marked the anniversary by climbing the 21 flights of Alliant Energy's stairs more than five times to complete the 110 flights of stairs, a significant number, as it equaled the height of the World Trade Center. Every month, CR's fire crew take it upon themselves to "do hard stuff" in order to keep them fresh and humble in the face of peril.

Nearly 3,000 people were killed when terrorists crashed planes into the two towers in New York City, the Pentagon in Washington D.C, and in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Every year on September 11th, it's a sobering reminder for countless Americans the hellish day that claimed an unfathomable amount of lives and the ensuing international wars that arose in the decades that followed.

The fire department shared photos of the 11 first responders that participated in the challenge on social media. They started the climb at about 7:30am in the morning, and finished around 9:15am:

11 Cedar Rapids Firefighters are climbing 110 flights of the Alliant Energy tower this morning to honor and remember the 343 NYFD Firefighters who perished as they rushed to the Twin Towers in 2001.

 

They will climb the 21 flights of the Alliant Tower more than five times to equal the height of the Towers. - per the Cedar Rapids Fire Department Facebook page

You can stay up to date with all things related to the Cedar Rapids Fire Department on their Facebook page.