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Firefighters honor 9/11 first responders by climbing Stone Mountain in full gear

By FOX 5 Atlanta Digital Team
Updated  September 10, 2021 7:06pm EDT
September 11
FOX 5 Atlanta

First responders from Georgia pay tribute to those killed in 9/11 attacks

The climb was about more than endurance for many firefighters. Some said the experience made them feel proud of their profession. Some saw the climb as their duty to commemorate the lives of heroes lost on September 11.

STONE MOUNTAIN, Ga. - On Sept. 11, 2001, brave firefighters and paramedics put themselves in harm's way, scaling the stairs of the burning World Trade Center towers to help rescue people inside following the attacks in New York City.

Many of those heroes never made it out alive. 

Tributes to their sacrifices are already underway across the nation and in Georgia on the eve of the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks in the U.S. 

RELATED: Army officer who lost both legs in Afghanistan reflects on enlisting after Sept. 11th

On Friday morning, a group of about 100 Georgia first responders honored the 343 firefighters and paramedics who lost their lives in the Sept. 11 terror attacks with a one-mile climb up Stone Mountain, about the equivalent of 160 flights of stairs. 

Firefighters climb Stone Mountain in full gear during 9/11 tribute

On the eve of the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks on the U.S., firefighters across Georgia volunteered to climb Stone Mountain in full gear to pay tribute to first responders who did so while trying to rescue people trapped in the World Trade Center towers.

MORE: 9/11 attacks changed an Atlanta police officer's life

Crew members from across Georgia climbed Stone Mountain dressed in their full gear.

firefighters climb stone mountain

On Friday morning, a group of about 100 Georgia first responders honored the 343 firefighters and paramedics who lost their lives in the Sept. 11 terror attacks with a one-mile climb up Stone Mountain, about the equivalent of 160 flights of stairs. C (FOX 5 Atlanta)

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For the first responders participating, the climb was about more than endurance. 

Some first responders carried badges with the names and faces of first responders who gave the ultimate sacrifice nearly 20 years ago. 

"It's incredibly brave, what they did that day," one City of Morrow firefighter said in between breaths. "It's also what anyone walking up this mountain today would do, given that same opportunity."

FIRST RESPONDERS CLIMB STN MTN

Some first responders carried badges with the names and faces of first responders who gave the ultimate sacrifice nearly 20 years ago. (FOX 5 Atlanta)

The one-mile climb has become a tradition that Georgia first responders participate in annually. 

first responders climb stone mountain

First responders climbed Stone Mountain on Sept. 10, 2021, in honor of those who lost their lives. Saturday marks the 20th anniversary of the attacks on the U.S. (FOX 5 Atlanta) (FOX 5 Atlanta)

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