“It’s really important for us to honor those who lost their lives on 9/11 because they truly made the ultimate sacrifice,” said Sawyer Epstein, 26, firefighter-paramedic.
More: First Responders to Honor 9/11’s 25th Anniversary With Strat Tower Climb
Twenty-five years after 343 FDNY firefighters died responding to the attacks on the World Trade Center, more than 460 firefighters, police officers, EMTs and military personnel gathered on Friday, Sept. 11, at The Strat Hotel, Casino & Tower on the Las Vegas Strip for the seventh-annual 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb.
As bagpipes played this morning, participants began the 1,455-step ascent up 108 flights to the top of the 1,149-foot tower, the tallest observation tower in the U.S., carrying a lanyard bearing the name and photograph of a first responder who died on Sept. 11, 2001, in New York.
Climbers included Las Vegas Fire & Rescue, Henderson Fire Department and North Las Vegas Fire Department firefighters; Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department officers; Henderson Police Department Academy staff and recruits; U.S. military personnel, including local Air Force; Emergency Medical Services personnel; and Las Vegas Fire & Rescue Explorer Program participants.
The event also welcomed international participants from Feuerwehr Baden Weikersdorf, a volunteer fire department in Austria. IAFF Local 1285 assisted with the morning’s honor guard presentation and ceremonies.
Among this year’s climbers was Las Vegas Fire & Rescue firefighter-paramedic Sawyer Epstein, 26, who was an infant when the towers fell. Epstein has carried the same lanyard every year since joining the fire academy seven years ago, honoring FDNY firefighter Michael Montesi of Rescue Company 1, who died at age 39 responding to the World Trade Center.
“It’s really important for us to honor those who lost their lives on 9/11 because they truly made the ultimate sacrifice. That’s something we all sign up for when we become firefighters or first responders, but it’s something we hope we never have to do,” said Epstein.
“Three hundred and forty-three firefighters made the ultimate sacrifice 25 years ago when they ran into the towers when everybody else was running out. It’s extremely important for us, as first responders today, to make sure those sacrifices are never forgotten. That’s why we climb the stairs.”
For a new generation of first responders too young to remember the attacks firsthand, the climb has become a way of carrying that history forward.
“This event is about remembering and honoring those people. What they did is so much harder than anything we’ll ever do,” said Richard Kilgore, Las Vegas Fire & Rescue firefighter. “We’ll never be able to understand it. So, if we can just try to give a fraction of that back and try to remember them and honor them, that’s what they deserve.”
The day began with an Honor Guard presentation by IAFF Local 1285 at 8 a.m., followed by the climb at 8:30 a.m. Las Vegas firefighters made the ascent in full turnout gear and self-contained breathing apparatus, with some carrying high-rise packs of fire hose weighing as much as 75 pounds, the same equipment their FDNY counterparts wore climbing the towers’ stairwells 25 years ago.
“Today’s event is all about remembrance. Every step represents a way for our first responders to pay homage to those who lost their lives on 9/11,” said Strat Senior VP and GM Skylar Dice. “It’s an absolute honor for both The Strat and Golden Entertainment to host this event, and we look forward to it every year.”
After the climb, participants, family members and friends gathered at PT’s Wings & Sports to reflect, share stories and honor the lives and legacy of those lost 25 years ago.
Proceeds from the event benefit Tunnel to Towers Foundation, which supports families of fallen and injured first responders and service members; Southern Nevada Burn Foundation, which assists burn survivors and promotes fire prevention education; and Vegas Fire and Rescue Charitable Association, which provides assistance to local firefighters and their families during times of need.
Since its inception in 2020, the 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb has drawn 300 to 400 first responders each year and raised more than $50,000 for first responder-related charities over the past decade.
