Comerica Bank Tower will host hundreds of police officers, firefighters and paramedics Saturday for a stair climb to mark the anniversary of the September 11 attacks. Comerica Bank Tower is the second tallest in Dallas with 60 stories; first responders will climb 49 floors then 12 then 49 again to match the 110 stories of the World Trade Center.
"Our climbers are basically finishing the trip for those who didn't make it September 11," said Event Director Rodney Smith.
Smith says the stair climb in Dallas has grown to become one of the biggest in the country. He says most participants come from departments in Texas, but some have come from Chicago, New York City and even other countries.
"The bond we have with the New York City folks and the bond they have with us, we're here to help, they're here to help," Smith said. "When something like this happens, we come together like a family."
Smith says four climbers this year were born after the attacks, and one is the son of a New York City firefighter. He says the event can call attention to the work police, firefighters and paramedics did the day of the attacks and the conditions they faced. He visited New York shortly after and met some firefighters.
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"One of the captains was on a crew that made it the highest up in the building. They remember the rumble of those buildings coming down," he said. "Then being able to look up, see sky and realize there used to be 100 floors above you."
The stair climb raises money for First Responders Children Foundation, which provides financial support for families of people killed in the line of duty.
The event will start with a ceremony at Main Street Garden Park. Former New York City Police Officer Rob Mitchell will speak at the event. He was an officer on September 11, 2001 and transferred to FDNY in 2002.
People can also watch the stair climb on monitors from the park. Smith says the video feed gives families a chance to see the work first responders did September 11, 2001 but also gain an understanding of the work current police and firefighters do.
"It casts a light on what these men and women do every day," he said. "We never know when we'll catch an alarm and have to run into one of these high-rise buildings."
Each person who participates in the stair climb will carry the name and picture of someone who died in 2001.
"A lot of them climb for the same person each year, so there's that special bond," Smith said. "Some of them have even reached out to family members of the person they've climbed for."
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The event at Main Street Garden Park is open to the public and starts Saturday at 8 a.m.
City Center Fort Worth is also hosting a stair climb Saturday to raise money for the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation and the Brotherhood of the Fallen.
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