First Responders Remember Heroes In Annual 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb

Wednesday marks 23 years since the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001.

Tulsa firefighters and police officers will honor the first responders who died that day with the eighth annual Memorial Stair Climb.

The stair climb will take place at the First Place Tower in downtown Tulsa.

Nearly 200 first responders will climb 110 stories at 8:46 a.m., the exact moment the first plane hit the World Trade Center.

The memorial will begin with a moment of silence before the climb.

All participants will be climbing the tower in full gear, which can weigh more than 50 pounds, and will receive a lanyard with a picture of a firefighter who died on 9/11.

Lieutenant Craig Deerinwater of the Tulsa Fire Department has been a firefighter for 25 years. He said he was a fairly new firefighter at the time but said he would always remember the moment he learned about what happened and that today is about remembrance.

“Just in conversation with other firefighters, it's just a time to come together and to be together and remember those that lost their lives," Deerinwater said. "We’ve always said we’ll never forget, and that holds true to Tulsa and any other fire department across the United States.”

Deerinwater said he also wants to make sure the younger firefighters don't forget the sacrifices that were made that day.

"We have a new firefighter that’s been on a few years, and at the time of 9/11, he was a year old. 20 years later, he’s a veteran of the fire department here in Tulsa, and it's just a brotherhood, camaraderie when we come together, and we will never forget those who lost their lives that day,” Deerinwater said.

Money raised from this event will be donated to the ‘Hydrants of Hope’ charity, whose mission is to help the families of children battling cancer.