Adam Prudhomme
Editor
Greater Napanee Fire Department is once again teaming with Planet Fitness to pay tribute to the brave uniformed men and women who lost their lives on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001.
In their honour, members of the local fire department are pledging to climb 110 flights on the Napanee gym’s stair climb machine, a symbolic tribute to the height of New York City’s World Trade Centre.
What began as a small gesture has grown over the years, now an annual tradition at Napanee’s Planet Fitness and local firefighters.
“It started with just two firefighters the first year,” said Kim Traill, manager of the Napanee Planet Fitness. “The second year was the 20th anniversary (of 9/11) and we had a big event that year. Even through COVID we were able to keep it going and this is our fifth time doing it.”
Stair climb machines will be reserved at the gym for firefighters on Sept. 11 who will be filtering in and out throughout the day. Members of the public are also invited to take the challenge.
“Greater Napanee Fire Department along with Planet Fitness are encouraging people to join us on Sept. 11 to do our annual stair climb to pay tribute to all our fallen firefighters that lost their lives on Sept. 11, 2001, along with police, medics and civilians,” said Al Hatton of Greater Napanee Fire.
Hatton noted that 343 firefighters lost their lives in the wreckage of the World Trade Centre in 2001, as they rushed up the stairs to rescue as many people as they could minutes after the first plane struck. They had no idea that just 16 minutes later a second plane would fly into the adjacent tower.
Sixty NYPD officers died that day, along with eight medics. All told, 2,996 people died that day in the deadliest act of terrorism in recorded history.
The stair climb challenge is meant to symbolize the journey to the top of the tower that so many never got to finish that fateful day.
“You don’t have to be a member of Planet Fitness, you just come in to Planet Fitness and sign up for a time slot that day,” said Hatton. “If you want to come it at 4 a.m. or come in at 10 p.m., we encourage you to come in and challenge yourself. Our fallen friends to the south, we want to get them to the top (of the twin towers).”
They also invite firefighters from their mutual support area such as Loyalist and Stone Mills to join them that day. While firefighters will perform the challenge in full bunker gear, members of the public are welcome to take it on in their regular workout attire.
“It’s a tough climb, but you’ll good once you get to the top and you’ve done it. Let’s pay tribute to our fallen friends from the south and get them to the top of that tower,” said Hatton.
Planet Fitness is located at 450 Centre St. N in Napanee.