Barbara Lawlor
Denver
When the Nederland Fire Protection District firefighters reached the end of their journey, they patted each other on the back and sat down. They were perched on the roof of a building in Denver and had just climbed 54 levels of stairs, twice. Once without using their SCBA’s and once with.
"It was great," says NFPD Charlie Schmidtmann." He and his wife Bretlynn have participated in the 9/11 Memorial Climb for the past six years and plan on doing it again.
The 2016 Denver 9/11 Memorial Climb honors and remembers the Fire Department of New York firefighters who courageously and selflessly tried to save lives when the twin towers were attacked, losing their own their lives in 2001.
Firefighters from across Colorado and six other states came to Denver for a special 9/11 memorial event last Sunday, September 11, 2016 to pay tribute to the firefighters and benefit the families.
Each participant honors a FDNY firefighter by climbing the equivalent of the 110 stories of the World Trade Center. The individual tributes not only remember the sacrifice of an FDNY brother, but symbolically completes their heroic journey to save others. Through firefighter and community participation the memorial ensures that each of the 343 firefighters is honored and that the world knows we will never forget.
The Denver 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb began in 2005 when a handful of firefighters from the Denver and Castle Rock fire departments decided to pay tribute to the firefighters killed on September 11, 2001. Now 343 firefighters from multiple agencies take part, one firefighter for every New York Fire Department member killed in the Twin Towers.
Charlie Schmidtmann climbed the stairs with a picture of Thomas W. Kelly, 50, who was with Ladder 15 with the FDNY for 17 years. While carrying about 50 pounds on his back and pushing himself up the stairs his thoughts were with Kelly and his family.
"The climb is not about speed, getting up there faster than anyone else. It is about remembering the firefighters who lost their lives. I have friends in New York City who are with the fire department and before they started the climb, they watched tapes of newscasters reporting play by play events during the disaster as it happened."
Schmidtmann says it is a hard uphill trek, but it is good when they finish. The Ned group climbed together offering support and encouragement. Other NFPD participants are Bobby Swanson, David Femmer and Iain Irwin-Powell, both of whom have done the climb eight times.
The Denver 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb was the first of its kind when it started in 2005. Dozens of similar events now take place across the country. Denver’s climb raises money for the Fallen Firefighters Foundation and the families of victims of 9/11. To date, the event has raised upwards of $1.4 million.
