During the week of Sept. 11 when people across the country are remembering the sacrifices of those lives lost 17 years ago, a group of Hattiesburg firefighters will be doing their own thing.
Seventeen local firefighters will take part in the Panama City Beach 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb at the Edgewater Beach Resort on Sept. 8. The climb is a way to honor and remember the FDNY firefighters who gave their lives on Sept. 11, 2001.
Each participant pays tribute to an FDNY firefighter by climbing the equivalent of the 110 stories of the World Trade Center. The individual tribute not only remembers the sacrifice of an FDNY brother, but symbolically completes their heroic journey to save others.
According to a spokesperson for the national group, “Through firefighter and community participation, we can ensure that each of the 343 firefighters is honored and that the world knows that we will never forget.”
This will be Hattiesburg Fire Department engineer Zack Barrett’s third year to climb. According to Barrett, climbs are held across the country. While they are usually held around Sept. 11, New York holds a climb in March.
The first year, Barrett and four local firefighters made the climb and last year they had about eight.
“I got to talking to the guy who was over it and told him we’d be back every year,” said Barrett. “It’s a good little vacation for us afterwards, but we get to do the stair climb also.”
This year’s group of 17 encompasses firefighters from all the city’s stations as well as different shifts. Barrett said many of the men plan their vacations at this time of year. “We’ll get somebody to swap shifts, so those that don’t want to or can’t go, can work for those going to make the climb,” he said. “Whoever wants to go is allowed to.”
While fundraising, which supports the National Fallen Firefighters Association, is not required, participants will pay a $30 registration fee to participate.
“The money raised goes to the families of firefighters who have died in the line of duty,” Barrett said.
But the climb is not just open to firefighters. According to Barrett, policeman, bomb technicians, sheriff and police employees as well as regular civilians take part.
Barrett’s first climb was at a 21-story condo, which they went up and down five times, the equivalent of the 110 stories. This year the climb will take place at the 11-story Edwater Beach Resort. Those climbing will go up 11 flights, walk across the condominium and back down. They’ll do that 11 times.
“We wear our full turnout gear – airpack, helmet, boots,” said Barrett. “We dress just like we’re going into a fire. We do that as a memorial to those who died on Sept. 11.”
Several hundred usually take part in the event.
Barrett said the beginning of the climb is congested, but once things taper off, you get in a pace.
“It takes you a little while to get moving. and then once everybody starts to hit their wall and get tired, then it opens up and you can make a steady pace at everything,” he said, guesstimating that it will take from 60 to 90 minutes to make the entire climb.
In addition to the families of climbers, Barrett said volunteers are stationed at the bottom, on every floor and across the top to cheer and encourage climbers on. Gatorade and water also are provided.
“You’re walking by somebody all the time who is pumping you up,” he said. When participants register they are given a name and photo of someone who perished on 9/11.
“The whole time you’re walking you see the picture of that person you’re walking for,” said Barrett. “You put on that lanyard and walk with it. You have a little bit more of a purpose when you know that person has passed. It hurts, but you really don’t think about the pain until afterwards.”
In addition to the climb, there are family activities scheduled such as a dive-in movie at the pool, kid’s workshops, a live band, food and a fireworks show.
“It’s just a big brotherhood we have and we hang out and enjoy everybody,” he said,.
Barrett said those who choose to participate train all year.
“We go to Forrest General and climb in the stairwell or we’ll go to USM to climb The Rock to prepare for it. A big brotherhood we hang out and enjoy everybody.”
This year’s participants include: Barrett, Micheal Kellum, Ben Thompson, Jeff Morgan, Alexander Redondo, Matt Bayley, Matt Henderson, Dalton Delk,
Brian Burson, Chance Hession, Brennan Fielder, Steven Lansdale, Austin Bounds and Jourdan Arnold.
This will be Barett and Arnold’s third year to participate and Thompson, Burson, Delk, Bayley, Morgan and Redondo’s second trip.
