It was a solemn and respectful morning in Eagan, Minnesota during the first annual Minnesota 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb to honor first responders.
It came 25 years after the tragic terrorist attacks killed nearly 3,000, including over 300 firefighters.
One by one, firefighters from across Minnesota, Wisconsin, and even Arizona climbed the stadium stairs in Eagan at TCO Stadium the practice facility of the Minnesota Vikings, to honor all the first responders who made the ultimate sacrifice while serving others on 9/11.
"We have a lot of new young firefighters that wanted to come out Here and kind of see a little bit more in depth of what the fire service is all about," said Jake Pfeffer with the Spring Lake Park-Blaine-Mounds View Fire Department.
Each person rang a silver memorial bell at the end of their climb, honoring those who died.
"We really signed up because we work closely with the fire departments, our company 24 Restore, and we show up after the fire," said one firefighter who didn't want to be named. "But you're not there to see what they have to go through to save lives and go through all that stress. Obviously, today you don't have a burning house, you don't have smoke inhaling, people screaming, things like that. When you think about 9/11 and all the sacrifices that were made there just to see what was coming out of the building and to have people run right into the building. I mean to make that sacrifice is everything."
The event Friday was also a fundraiser for MnFire and the Minnesota Fire Service Foundation.
"All of those things, all of that weight that we carry both physically and psychologically, that's the reason M Fire is here, right? I mean, that's ultimately why we want to make sure that we're providing for the Minnesota Fire Service, the tools that they need to just have a great career," added firefighter Mike Dobesh.
