ATHENS-Three Athens Fire and Rescue crew members took steps to remember 9/11 by doing the equivalent of 110 stories at the World Trade Center.
On September 8, Firefighters Jeremy McLaughlin, Tyler Helms and Eli Boydstun utilized the stair climber at the Athens Rec Center to make 2,071 steps.
Fire Chief James Hand said Athens Parks and Rec staff issued a challenge to its Rec Center members to tally the number of steps they made on the climber for the month of September. Then they issued a challenge to Athens Fire.
“It is important to our Fire Department to honor and pay tribute to the responders and all of those impacted by the tragedy of 9/11,” Hand said.
According to 9/11 statistics, 343 firefighters and paramedics died in the Twin Towers collapse, along with 23 police officers.
Hand said McLaughlin did the steps in phenomenal time, 13 minutes and 12 seconds. Helms completed it in 23 minutes, and Boydstun finished in 28 minutes.
“Twenty-two years later, people remember that day, but the pain is not as fresh,” Hand said. “We want to keep honoring and paying tribute to the sacrifices made so we never forget.”
