Lincoln-area first responders will gather Friday morning at Memorial Stadium for the annual 9/11 Stair Climb, honoring the lives lost during the September 11th attacks. Lincoln Police Sgt. Noonan says the event began about eight years ago as a way for first responders to come together and remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
“It started as just a good way to get first responders in the area together to just remember those that lost their lives on 9-11, as well as just continue to honor the duty of the job that we still do,” Noonan says.
The climb will begin around 5:30 a.m. and will take about an hour. Participants climb the stairs of Memorial Stadium in an effort to replicate the 110 flights climbed by firefighters and other first responders inside the World Trade Center.
Noonan, who serves as an academy sergeant with the Lincoln Police Department, says recruits have been preparing for the event through their physical training. More than 40 LPD officers are expected to participate, along with first responders from Lincoln Fire and Rescue, the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office, Nebraska State Patrol and military partners. Noonan says several hundred people typically take part.
Participants can complete the climb at their own pace, with some running and others wearing weighted vests. Noonan says the climb is challenging, but rewarding. “It’s just really rewarding once you’re finished with it.”
He says the event serves as an important reminder of the sacrifice made on September 11th. “We need to make sure that we never forget what happened and honor those that gave the ultimate sacrifice that day, and this is one of the ways that we can do that as a group.”