Maryland's firefighters remember fallen colleagues with 9/11 Memorial stair climb

BALTIMORE -- Hundreds of first responders and civilians came together at the M&T Bank Stadium for the 9/11 Memorial stair climb. 

"I actually started my career in March of 2001," Baltimore City Fire Department Battalion Chief Raymond Bartock said. "I worked September 11. So, I was actually first-hand experience of what was going on." 

Each participant climbed 2,200 steps as a way to honor the lives that were lost 22 years ago when terrorists used commercial airplanes to launch an attack on America. Two of those planes flew into the World Trade Center buildings in New York City, killing thousands of people.

That day, as people were fleeing from the World Trade Center's north and south towers, firefighters were going into the damaged buildings in the hopes of saving lives.

Kevin Cartwright, Baltimore City Fire Department's director of communications, described how participants dressed to honor the first responders who died doing their jobs when the Twin Towers collapsed.

"Some of them will wear turnout gear," Cartwright said. "Some of them will have athletic gear—weighted vests and they are actually going to go up and down all of these stairs equivalent to 110 flights of course synonymous with the height of the World Trade Center."  

The event serves as a reminder of the spirit of unity and resilience that emerged from the ashes of 9/11, ensuring their memory lives on and the sacrifices of our heroes are never forgotten.

"There are still people who care and people who remember and that never forget, and it means something to everybody," Bartock said.