On Friday, Navarre Beach Fire Rescue will host its annual stair climb in honor of the 343 FDNY firefighters who died in the line of duty on Sept. 11, 2001.
Fire stations across the country participate in similar events, climbing 110 stories to represent the 110 stories of the World Trade Center. Friday’s event will take place at the Summerwind Resort on Navarre Beach with a pledge of allegiance, prayer, and performance of the National Anthem.
The event is open to the public regardless of physical fitness. One of the towers will be designated for those who want to climb at their own pace.
“If you want to do it in silence, if you want to high-five, play your music, have fun – do it. Just being there is the honor,” said Jonathan Kanzigg, Navarre Beach Fire Rescue interim chief. “There's no trophies; we're not keeping score. It's not for time.”
While the terrorist attacks happened in New York City, more than a thousand miles from the panhandle, the pain and sacrifice was felt everywhere, said Kanzigg.
“There are a lot of local firefighters who went to New York to help,” he explained. “Every firefighter knew at least one firefighter that was there working. As a firefighter on duty that day and watch it shake out in real time, it affected me personally, you know, as a person and as a fireman.”
Kanzigg knew a few personal friends who were working in New York on that day 25 years ago. One friend was working at the South Tower and has continued to struggle with the physical and mental trauma. Another friend responded to help monitor air quality at Ground Zero with the Coast Guard.
He says he will be thinking about them on Friday.
Kanzigg remembers he had just started his shift at a fire station in downtown Mobile when the news of the terrorist attacks came on the TV.
“We watched the news and just kind of drank coffee in the morning catching up, and the TV just instantly flashed to the World Trade Center on fire,” he remembered. “We didn’t know what was going on.”
“It was just kind of a shock.”
He said he was worried for his wife and kids at home, wondering if another attack would happen across the country and where. He had a “helpless feeling.”
There were 2,977 casualties of the terrorist attacks, including 343 firefighters.
“When you lose 343 in a day, that’s just…it’s more than you lose in years combined,” said Kanzigg. The average number of firefighter deaths in the line of duty per year is around 80, according to the U.S. Fire Administration.
“It’s kind of overwhelming.”
Understanding the history of 9/11 is also understanding how first responders worked to learn from the events, said Kanzigg.
“Any leader or seasoned person in a fire department feel like they want to leave their department better than they found it,” he said. “Like the way we communicate and talk on the radio. Our mutual aid responses, where we respond to different states and parts of the world, are based on lessons learned during 9/11.”
Educational requirements for first responders is another example, he added.
On Friday, there will be opportunities to donate to the Navarre Beach Fire Rescue. Proceeds will be used to purchase bunker gear for lifeguards attending fire academy next year. These future firefighters were all born after Sept. 11, 2001.
“All of our lifeguards and our future firefighters, they're participating in it because they want to take up this calling,” said Kanzigg. “To me, that means the most.”
Teaching the next generation about Sept. 11 is one reason why these events exist.
“It was about four or five years ago, there was an instructor who made the point. He's like, guys coming on the job today weren't even born on 9/11,” said Kanzigg. “And a lot of us that have been on the job a while, kind of just sat back. I'm like, ‘Holy crap, time is flying by.’”
“Teach them and let them know what was important so they know their history.”
