GOLDSBORO, N.C. — Wayne Community College honored the memory and sacrifice of first responders who lost their lives on Sept. 11, 2001, with its annual 9/11 Tribute Stair Climb on Friday, marking the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks.
Organized by WCC’s Public Safety Division, the commemorative event was held on the exterior stairs and breezeways of the Magnolia Building on the college’s main campus in Goldsboro.
Students enrolled in WCC’s Basic Law Enforcement Training and Emergency Medical Services programs joined local first responders in climbing the equivalent of 78 flights of stairs.
The physically demanding tribute symbolizes the heroic efforts of firefighters who climbed the World Trade Center towers on Sept. 11, 2001. The 78 flights represent the highest floor reached by firefighters in the South Tower before it collapsed.
The stair climb also served as a solemn reminder of the 403 public safety personnel who died in the line of duty during the attacks. Those losses included 343 New York City Fire Department firefighters, 23 New York City Police Department officers and 37 Port Authority Police Department officers.
Nearly 3,000 people were killed in the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and aboard United Airlines Flight 93.
Twenty-five years later, WCC’s tribute provided current and future first responders with an opportunity to remember those who answered the call for help that morning, many knowing they were placing their own lives in danger.
The event also highlighted the continued commitment of law enforcement officers, firefighters, emergency medical personnel and those preparing to enter public safety careers to serve and protect their communities.
WCC’s annual stair climb continues the college’s tradition of ensuring the courage and sacrifice displayed on Sept. 11, 2001, are not forgotten.
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