- September 17, 2024
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The Flagler Palm Coast High School Jr. ROTC Color Guard at the fourth annual 9/11 Memorial stair climb. Photo by Sierra Williams
Attendees salute the flag at the fourth annual 9/11 Memorial stair climb while Melanie DiMartino sings the national anthem. Photo by Sierra Williams
Flagler Palm Coast Fire Academy students during the stair climb's ceremony. Photo by Sierra Williams
Flagler County Fire Rescue Lt. Armando Castaneda and firefighters Christopher Gonzalez and Xavier Awe prepare for the stair climb. Photo by Sierra Williams
Bunnell Police Department officers Damon Kreider, Sgt. Alton Ogden and Lt. Shane Groth. Kreider and Ogden both participated in the stair climb. Photo by Sierra Williams
Six members of the Flagler Palm Coast Fire Academy suit up to take on the 110-flight stair climb. Photo by Sierra Williams
Flagler County Sheriff's Office, Flagler County Fire Rescue and Palm Coast Fire Department vehicles outside the stair climb's ceremony. Photo by Sierra Williams
St. Johns County Fire Rescue firefighters drove down to take part in the fourth annual stair climb. Photo by Sierra Williams
The Palm Coast Fire Department firefighters and honor guard. Photo by Sierra Williams
A Flagler County Fire Rescue firefighter kneels, with a U.S. flag on his back, waiting for the stair climb to begin. Photo by Sierra Williams
Participants received their chips, representing New York first responders, as they began their climbs. Photo courtesy of the 9/11 Memorial Climb 501c3
Participants got their badges punched for every level of the stair case they completed. Photo courtesy of the 9/11 Memorial Climb 501c3
A firefighter at the 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb. Photo courtesy of the 9/11 Memorial Climb 501c3
Bunnell police officers and Flagler County Fire Rescue at the stair climb. Photo courtesy of the 9/11 Memorial Climb 501c3
Over 180 people participated in the fourth annual 9/11 Memorial Tribute Climb at Hammock Beach Golf Resort & Spa.
The event drew participants from across all ages and from several other counties. The Memorial Tribute climb was in honor of the 343 firefighters who died in New York City while attempting to rescue and aid victims of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center.
Organizer Lacy Martin said she was in sixth grade in 2001.
"I really remember that day," she said. "That's why I think it's so important to remember."
This year was the 23rd anniversary of 9/11.
Martin, who took over the Memorial Climb last year from Flagler County and has turned it into a 501c3 nonprofit event, said she sent out fliers to fire stations across Central Florida. The event had participants from Winter Park, Clermont and Marion County.
"There was definitely a vast array of people," she said.
Despite rain forcing the crowd under an overhang for the ceremony, enthusiasm was high. St. Johns County Fire Rescue engineer Max Schafer said he and eight other firefighters from various fire stations came down to the Hammock Beach Golf Resort climb to participate in the stair climb.
Schafer said that while he and others had participated in other stair climb events before, he had never been able to participate in the Hammock Beach climb until now.
"We're loving the support and camaraderie here," Schafer said.
The participants were each given chips representing New York firefighter who died on 9/11 to carry with them up the stairs. At 8:46 a.m. — the same moment when, 23 years ago, American Airlines Flight 11 flew into the World Trade Center's North Tower — a horn was sounded and participants began to climb the stairs. The South Tower was hit by United Airlines Flight 175 at 9:03 a.m.
The Hammock Beach Golf Resort only has 11 stories, so participants had to climb up and then down the flight of stairs 10 times to match the 110 flights of stairs the New York firefighters had to climb in the World Trade Center.
Martin said she was trying to change the event from a Flagler County-focused event to one more inclusive to other first responder organizations in the county.
"Basically I'm just trying to unify it and make it more of a community event," she said.
