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City of Bartlesville
Posted: Sep 08, 2025 10:13 AMUpdated: Sep 09, 2025 4:45 AM
Bartlesville Firefighters to Climb Stairs to Remember Fallen First Responders on 9/11
Tom Davis
Thursday, September 11th, 2025, marks the 24th anniversary of the 9-11 terrorist attacks. There were 2,976 fatalities that day, and of that, 343 were firefighters and 71 law enforcement officers.
Appearing on KWON Radio's CITY MATTERS program, Bartlesville Fire Chief HC Call said, "Every year, thousands of first responders around the country participate in a 9-11 memorial stair climb. So they either climb or walk the equivalent of 110 stories or 2,200 steps, often in full gear." Call added,"This year, we've got the privilege of partnering with the local business to do that again locally. It honors the memory of the 343 firefighters and the 71 law enforcement officers.
According to Call, they have 30 total participants this year, 17 firefighters and 13 PD officers from the community that are gonna participate. They will climb 110 stories in one of the local buildings downtown multiple times to get to that number. Call said, "It just serves as a tribute and an act of remembrance for the fallen heroes for that day and ensures that their legacy will live on."
The Twin Towers each had 110 stories in it, 2,200 steps. The North Tower, the plane hit between floors 93 and 99, and firefighters were able to make it somewhere between 20 and 40 floors before the buildings collapsed.
Call said that each member will carry a tag of one of the deceased first responders just as a tribute to them. They'll carry it throughout the climb, and then afterwards they'll place it on a memorial and ring the bell just as a way to pay tribute and pay honor to their sacrifice.
Call said, "We're trying to make it a bigger deal every year, and a lot of that, Deputy Chief Campbell played a role in that with getting the name tags and everything put together so we can participate in it and have it a little bit more as a memorial." Call added, "The building we're using is private property, so it's not open to the public as far as the actual climb."
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