Local firefighters prepare for 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb in Nashville

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Seven flights of stairs might seem like a lot for a normal person, but for a local group of firefighters, it’s just the beginning of their training as they get ready for the annual 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb at the Tennessee Tower in downtown Nashville.

“We do this every year around September, the Sunday before 9/11… to commemorate everything that happened that day… and we got a motto that we climb because they can’t… and I usually get a team together,” Captain Chris McCoy with the Smiths Grove Volunteer Fire Department says.

However, it’s not a race to the top. McCoy says it’s a rather supportive journey up a hundred plus flights.

“It’s not a time race… we all support each other down there. ‘Oh come on, man, you can do it.’ It’s not a time race. We just want to finish because, like I said earlier, we climb because they can’t anymore,” he says.

It’s a way for firefighters to honor those who lost their lives during the attacks on the World Trade Center.

“The firefighting service is a family… and doing this is a way for us to take care of that greater firefighting family. The money that we raise is to take care of those who lose members in the line of duty and also help take care of those who lost loved ones on 9/11,” Chris Gadbois with the Barren River Volunteer Fire Department says.

For veterans, they know what to expect… as Captain McCoy can attest:

“As I get older, I tire out easier… but I look forward to this every year and I’m just happy to be a part of it… and I’m glad that they included me in it this year, because this will be my 10th year climbing, and I’m hoping to be able to do this for the next 10, 15, 20 years maybe as long as I’m able… yes.”

Newbies, on the other hand, are excited for their first climb and hope to invite even more firefighters out in the future.

“I come from a firefighter background, first responder background. My dad’s a volunteer firefighter and my brothers in law enforcement… so just to be able to represent everybody that was there that day and lost their life… it means a lot to me,” Lori Pendley with the Meador Volunteer Fire Department in northern Allen County says.

“It’s very heartwarming to be able to do this the first time, and hopefully we can get other departments in our county to participate and raise that awareness with them,” Valerie Epling with the Halifax Volunteer Fire Department in western Allen County adds.

The climb takes place September 7th in downtown Nashville.