Seven members of the Grande Cache Fire Department are making their way to New York to participate in the 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb. Crew member Rylen Trimble says each member will wear the name of a firefighter that sacrificed their lives during the attack in 2001. They then climb up 74 stories of World Trade Centre Four wearing all of their gear including their air tank.
“The seven of us have been religiously in the gym for a couple months now. A couple have been training year round for it. We also have the Calgary climb as well. This whole spring we are gearing up for it.”
In Calgary, a handful of members climb to raise money for families of those who are battling cancer. They raise funds for that event but with the Memorial Climb, Trimble says they paid for the trip out-of-pocket.
Trimble explains that the attack on the World Trade Centre still has an impact on fire crews around North America including in places like Grande Cache.
“To go down and just meet these crews from New York, the history and the culture is just going to be life changing.”
The Grande Cache Firefighters believe they may be the only Canadian group registered for the event but they are waiting on confirmation. He says either way, their crew is proud to go down and represent the province and country in New York. You can follow the event live online.