Local firefighters climb for comrades

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - In the remembrances on this solemn day, there were songs, there were tears, and there were moments of silence.

And in one case, there was sweat mixed in with the emotions.

Dozen of firefighters lined up to climb 24 stories of the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel -- not once, but four and a half times, to equal the height of the Twin Towers.

"With all of our turn out gear, our pants, our jackets plus these air pack, we're wearing 70 extra pounds of gear," said Cascade Township Firefighter Todd Stevenson as he geared up for the climb.

It's the same gear New York firefighters were carrying that day ten years ago when they made that fateful ascent up the stairways of the burning Twin Towers.

"Right now we're all in a pretty good mood. Let's see how it goes," said Stevenson.

Up they went, step by step, floor by four, until they made it to the 24th floor.

"That's a good climb... 24 flights.. Good work out," said Stevenson as he caught his breath and had a drink of water.

Then, Stevenson and others headed back down to do it all over again, all the time remembering the sacrifices made by their New York comrades.

A few firefighters escaped when the towers crumbled.

But so many died.

The loss was felt in every firehouse in America.

"It's a brotherhood, ya know. We think of everybody as a team, and when that amount of firefighters lose their lives, that effects everybody in the nation," says organizer Lance Kornhorn.

Korhorn, also a Cascade Firefighter, and some fellow firefighters got the idea for the stair climb.

"We're climbing in honor of a firefighter or police officer, everybody's carrying an ID card with them," says Korhorn.

Each participant paid $25 to enter. All of the money raised will go to the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation .

It was a way to honor the memory of heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice ten years ago today and help those they left behind.