BLACK HAWK - On the morning of September 11, the Ameristar Hotel and Casino once again became a place of remembrance. 

For the 17th year, first responders, families, and community members gathered in Black Hawk to climb in honor of those lost in the attacks of 2001. 

This was the third time I’ve covered the event, and each year it is just as moving. Groups of people, from seasoned firefighters to first-time participants, come together for the same purpose: to make sure the lives cut short that day are never forgotten.

The stair climb participants gathered outside the Ameristar at the Richman Beer Garden at 9 a.m. The sun was bright, and though they were gathered for a memorial, spirits were high as teams and groups stretched, chatted, and geared up for the climb.

Some firefighters wore complete firefighting equipment—a whopping weight of 65 to 75 pounds, to mimic the strength and fortitude of the firefighters who climbed the stairs of the Twin Towers that day 24 years ago.

At 9:30 a.m., officials spoke to the nature of the event, as the crowd listened quietly, some with heads bowed in reflection. 

Black Hawk Fire Department Lieutenant Chris Williams played the loud, chirping sound that haunts every firefighter: the piercing alarm of the PASS device. 

PASS stands for Personal Alert Safety System. It’s a device built into a firefighter’s self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA). The purpose is simple but critical, Williams explained.

• If a firefighter stops moving for a certain period of time, the PASS device automatically emits a loud, piercing alarm.

• It can also be activated manually if the firefighter is in distress.

• The alarm is meant to alert nearby crews that one of their own is down and needs immediate help.

Williams explained it as “the sound that cuts through fire, smoke, and chaos. Because it means one of our own is in distress.” It’s a chilling reminder of what many heard inside the World Trade Center on 9/11.

“On September 11, 2001, amid the collapsing towers, the heavy dust, and the cries for aid, that sound was heard over and over again. Hundreds of alarms, activated, each one a desperate beacon, each one an unanswered cry,” he lamented.

Following the alarm, the solemn toll of the Firefighter’s Bell Ceremony was sounded. Three distinct strikes, repeated three times, honored those who gave their lives in the line of duty.

Carrying the memory

The climb itself covers 116 floors, four rounds up the Ameristar tower—six floors more than the World Trade Center. The Black Hawk climb is considered the highest stair climb in the world, beginning at 8,042 feet above sea level and adding another 192 feet of elevation.

For Krystal Meyer of Gilpin Parks and Recreation, the event was about more than the physical challenge. “I’m here for a lot of reasons. It’s great for team bonding; it’s good awareness. I have family that served because of this,” she said, adding that her group wore new Gilpin County Cares shirts. “We’re stronger together. It kind of fits.”

Members of the Golden Fire Department were among the new faces at this year’s climb. “This is actually my first one,” one firefighter said. Asked what it meant to participate, he replied, “Just keep the tradition alive and make sure we never forget.”

Some of the other groups present included Golden Gate Fire, Gilpin County Sheriff, the City of Black Hawk, Gilpin Ambulance Authority, Aurora Fire, Timberline Fire, the Lodge and Gilpin Casinos, Central City Fire, and the Transit Police. 

A community united

Ameristar’s staff, like Rob Schoell of the food and beverage department, also played a role behind the scenes. “This is actually the second year” he’s helped, he said, standing near tables set with water and coffee for the climbers. This year’s reception was in the Beer Garden, which proved to be easier and more open than the banquet halls used in years past.

As the stairwells filled, participants passed the faces of 343 firefighters, 60 police officers, eight EMTs, and three state officers who died that day. The photos lined the walls, a reminder of who the climb was for.

Nearly a quarter century has passed since September 11, but in the stairwells of the Ameristar tower, the weight of memory still lingers. Each year, step by step, the community climbs not just for fitness, not for competition, but to symbolically finish the journey those heroes began.