Climbing 110 stories at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel Casino, first responders and other community members retraced the height of the Twin Towers to honor the victims of Sept. 11 on the 25th anniversary of the attacks. Hundreds of firefighters took part in Friday morning’s stair climb. They wen t up 34 flights of stairs three times to symbolize 110 stories that many other firefighters tried to climb at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. Participants in the stair climb paid tribute to all the first responders who did not run away from danger but instead ran right toward it. “If that day showed us the absolute worst in humanity, the minutes and hours [that] followed revealed the absolute best of the human spirit,” said Eric Schwarz, president of the Firefighters Benevolent of Davie. Hundreds of firefighters climbed dozens of flights of stairs to reach those in need that day. It was a climb many would not survive, and one symbolized by the stair climb held at Seminle Hard Rock in Hollywood. Among those who took part in the stair climb was Jaime Gonzalez with Hollywood Fire Rescue. “Some people came home, some didn’t. Unfortunately, I was there also on that day, but I do this every year in order to remember all the lives lost,” he said. Participants wore a badge honoring someone who did not come home “This is Ricardo Quinn, he’s a former [emergency medical specialist for the New York Fire Department],” said Gonzalez as he held up his badge. “This is Captain David Woolley. We’re going to be climbing on behalf of him,” said Hollywood Fire Rescue Capt. Alex Jonker. Firefighters from departments across South Florida made the slow climb, along with others who simply wanted to honor those who tried to save lives that day. The passage of time hasn’t erased the pain, nor has it diminished the absence felt of thousands of families at dinner tables,” said Schwarz. “These firefighters sacrificed a lot, their families and their loved ones, and it’s our promise to never forget,” said Jonker. The stair climb was also a fundraiser for the Wounded Veterans Relief Fund and the Firefighters Benevolent of Davie. ...read more read less