ELSAH/GRAFTON - Four firefighters with the QEM Fire Protection District climbed 2,200 stairs to remember the firefighters who were lost in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
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On Sept. 11, 2024, the firefighters climbed up and down the burn tower at the QEM Fire Protection District at 14905 Elsah Road in Grafton. They climbed a total of 110 stories, or 2,200 stairs, in honor of the 343 firefighters who died in the 9/11 attacks and the many others who responded to the call.
“The whole event started with my guys wanting to do something to honor the fallen and all the lives we lost that day,” said Aaron Darr, fire chief. “They just honor them that way, by doing the climb that they had to do.”
Victoria Westfall, Steven Looney, Ray Clothier and Cameron Mank participated in the climb. The firefighters' friends and families watched as they climbed up and down the tower 37 times. Darr said he “couldn’t be prouder” of his team.
“A lot of my guys weren’t even in firefighting when 9/11 happened, but they still feel a strong brotherhood with the people that passed and the people that had to go through it,” he added. “A lot of my guys feel like they just want to honor the sacrifice.”
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