San Antonio firefighters climb 110 stories to honor 9/11 first responders

More than 100 San Antonio firefighters paid tribute Friday to the first responders who reported for duty after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New York City by participating in a grueling test of endurance.

The San Antonio Fire Department's cadet class and off-duty firefighters geared up to climb a six-story SAFD training academy building at 8:46 a.m. - the exact moment a hijacked plane struck the World Trade Center's North Tower 25 years ago.

They climbed and descended stairs for nearly two hours, until they had reached the equivalent of 110 stories - the height of the World Trade Center's Twin Towers.

The event began with a prayer and procession led by the SAFD's Pipe & Drum Brigade. The group, donning kilts, played "Amazing Grace" on the bagpipes as firefighters geared up in more than 60 pounds of equipment, recreating the conditions faced by first responders on Sept. 11.

"To those of you who are joining us in our profession, I want you to consider what those firefighters set out to do that day," Jesse Davila, an SAFD safety division executive officer, told the cadets before the climb.

"None of them knew how the day would end. None of them know what awaited them on the floors above. All they knew was people needed their help, so they climbed," he said.

Before they began climbing, each firefighter touched a metal tile, formerly a support beam in one of the Twin Towers. They attached nametags bearing the names of all 343 firefighters who died on Sept. 11 to their jackets and helmets.

"You're going to walk on behalf of all those who came before us," Davila said.

The firefighters climbed steadily as recordings of sirens and first responders urging screaming civilians to "stay calm" played through loudspeakers. They paused only for moments of silence, announced by Davila to mark key moments from Sept. 11.

At 9:03 a.m., they stood in silence to mark the moment another hijacked plane struck the World Trade Center's South Tower.

At 9:37 a.m., they honored those killed when a hijacked plane crashed into the Pentagon.

At 9:59 a.m., they commemorated the collapse of the South Tower.

At 10:03 a.m., they honored the passengers and crew who fought hijackers aboard a plane headed for Washington, D.C. - and that crashed in a field near Shanksville, Penn.

Finally, at 10:28 a.m., they stood in silence remembering the collapse of the North Tower.

After each moment of silence, the firefighters set off their PASS devices - loud alarms that activate when a firefighter is trapped, injured or unconscious.

"If you listen to news footage after the buildings collapsed, you hear the PASS devices going off," SAFD spokesman Joe Arrington told the San Antonio Express-News. "We want our cadets to feel that."

The climb is an annual tradition for cadets, Arrington said. They typically participate in the SA 110 Memorial Climb at the Tower of the Americas, sponsored by a nonprofit. But when organizers postponed this year's event because of a conflict with a vendor, the fire department organized its own memorial climb.

Arrington said the climb is designed to "hammer down the ultimate sacrifice" made by firefighters that day for the cadets, most of whom were either hadn't been born yet or were too young to remember the Sept. 11 attacks.

"We hope it gives them a thought in the back of their heads that this is a calling that you signed up for, and you never know what you're going to be called to do," he said. "It's about knowing that 343 of our brothers and sisters paid that ultimate sacrifice, and the reality of what we do is that we could be called to do the same thing."

After they finished their climb, the firefighters, sweat pouring down their faces, lined up to read the names of the Sept. 11 responders died in the attacks. Between heavy breaths, they read the names aloud and rang a bell three times in honor of each fallen firefighter.

The bell kept ringing until after 11 a.m.

Abraham Rondez, a 30-year-old cadet, participated in his first memorial climb. He said he'd wanted to join the SAFD for as long as he could remember, and that it took him four years to get accepted.

"It's tough on the body, but they train us well for it. McHugh, O'Keefe - they keep me going," he said, pointing to the nametags pinned to his hat and jacket.

Brady Pearson, a 25-year-old cadet, described the experience as "heart-wrenching" as he sat down to remove his helmet and jacket after the climb.

Both Rondez and Pearson started cadet training in May and will graduate in December.

"My takeaway is just how hard this job is," Pearson said. "It takes so much courage, bravery and heart to do this, and I'm honored to be out here helping people like this."

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This article originally published at San Antonio firefighters climb 110 stories to honor 9/11 first responders.