By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
We will never forget. For 21 years, that has been the mantra following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Three hundred and forty-three New York firefighters died that day, and each year departments around the nation go above and beyond to remember their fallen brothers. Over the weekend, Great Bend firefighters participated in two memorial events locally and in Kansas City.
For a 10th-straight year, Great Bend Fire Chief Luke McCormick did his stairs in Kansas City at the Town Pavilion high rise. Registration for that event was capped at 343, with each climber honoring one of the fallen FDNY firefighters. The event is usually booked within minutes after online registration opens, and since 2011, has featured climbers from more than 80 fire departments in eight states.
"It's a great reflection on the events of 9/11," McCormick said. "Part of it is, my wife and kids to go the event with me as well. It keeps reminding them of the tragedy that happened that day, and it allows us to complete the mission those firefighters set out on. By climbing to the 110th floor, they weren't able to complete that mission. It allows us to carry on that memory of them. I think it's a great tribute to the fire service, the ceremonial part of the event.
"To see the brotherhood and camaraderie that comes together when you put that many firefighters in the stairwells as they're making the ascent up the plaza building. Some struggle and it takes the whole group and a team effort to get everybody through the completion of it."
For the first five years, McCormick climbed in honor of Jeffrey Palazzo, who was 33 at the time of his death in 2001. Palazzo, a husband and father of two daughters, loved hunting, fishing, boating, and scuba diving. He was an active member of the United States Coast Guard.
Over the last five years, McCormick has allowed the organization to choose his firefighter for the climb. This year it was Gerard Nevins, an 18-year veteran firefighter who was 46 at the time of his death.
"Part of the reason I decided to start climbing for different firefighters is it gives me a chance to look up and see a little bit about them and what they meant to the department," McCormick said.
Nevins was a husband and father of two sons who lived on a farm outside New York City. Nevins was known for raising chickens, goats, rabbits, and pigs, and for keeping firehouse traditions alive, including the bond created by making meals together.
"I feel that same thing," said McCormick. "Our guys eat meals together here twice a day that they cook and prepare. That just really helps bring together the crews."
Other firefighters climb locally
A group of firefighters stayed home to complete the Ultimate Fire Athlete 9/11 Tribute Challenge Workout. They climbed the equivalent of 110 flights of stairs at Great Bend High School's Memorial Stadium and did a handful of other exercises, all with extra meaning.
"We figured up how many times up and down it would take us to equal out the number of steps it would take to complete the challenge," said Christopher Kell, firefighter and AEMT. "Of course, there's the additional stuff in there such as the 100 pushups, 100 squats, 100 lunges, and 43 dips, which totaled out 343, which is the exact number of firefighters that died on 9/11."
Kell has been with the Great Bend Fire Department for two years and participated in his second challenge. He said it's important for the firefighters to honor the fallen.
"I know some of the older guys on the department that have been on for a while can remember sitting here at the station when all that happened," he said. "It always brings back the emotions they felt during that time."
Paramedic and firefighter Kaleb Karnosky is just 24 years old and has no memories of the tragic events from 21 years ago. But he was still able to suffer through a tough workout to honor the fallen firefighters.
"You learn even more about (9/11) when you become a firefighter because it's an important part of firefighting history," Karnosky said. "It's extra motivation when you're doing those workouts. I like to think about how those guys who were working in New York that day as firefighters, when it got difficult they didn't have the option to quit. They had to keep going because they had a job to do."