SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — Scranton Fire Department paid tribute to their fellow first responders from 9/11.
Honoring both those who lost their lives and those who answered the call
Firefighters suited up, weighed down by their equipment and began their journey 110 flights of stairs. The same number that first responders faced during the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center
"Doing this is kind of our way of remembering the traditions in the fire service and those firefighters who gave their life on 9/11, the 343 that lost their lives that day so it a way of saying that their efforts have not been lost and the fire service remembers them day in and day out," explained Dan Hallowich, Deputy Chief at the Scranton Fire Department.
With each step, they remember those who fiercely responded to the tragic day 23 years ago.
"It kind of like wow those guys did that and still had a lot of work you know so they didn't get to just step off the stairs, they got to step off the stairs and help people, render aid, carry more equipment up and down, some of those people went up and down several times," says Zachary Fannon a firefighter at the Scranton Fire Department.
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This tradition has grown stronger each year serving not only as a moment of reflection but also as a display of strength and resilience. Pushing through exhaustion to pay tribute to the fight those first responders endured.
"Coming off those 110 flights of stairs is only part of the battle they faced that day, and they still had a monstrous amount of work to do to help those people out of the building," stated Hallowich.
"My father was on the job for 2001 and my brother was on the job, and so it means a lot to the guys to continue to carry on this tradition," added Allen Lucas the President of IAFF Local 60.
A tradition to honor a day that will never be forgotten
In total, the firefighters went up 2,200 steps it took over 30 minutes for the first firefighter to reach the final flight.
