Firefighter Tanner Loewe stepped down from the stairclimber, flushed and panting.
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He was wearing a full turnout suit – which can weigh up to 100 pounds – and he had just finished 11 minutes of climbing as fast as he could. Sweat trickled down his cheeks.
“I should’ve drank more water,” he said, between gulps for air.
Twenty-five years ago today, terrorists hijacked four airplanes, killing nearly 3,000 people in a coordinated attack on the United States. Events memorializing the victims of 9/11 are happening around the country, including one in Anchorage, where firefighters honored first responders with a stair climb challenge.
Loewe has been firefighting for a decade, but it was his first time at the event.
“I usually make an excuse not to come,” he said, winking.
But he was glad he made it today. It was painful, he said, but that’s not what he was focusing on.
“You think of the sacrifice, the 9/11 firefighters who have sacrificed their lives and never went home to their families and things like that,” he said. “And that definitely keeps you pushing.”
Loewe was thinking of his community here too, he said. It’s important to be at your best at all times, he said, so you can help when you’re called to.
Organizers of the annual event say it’s about firefighters challenging themselves, while memorializing the 343 first responders who died Sept. 11, 2001. Firefighters stream through the Anchorage gym, some popping in quickly while they’re on duty, some coming from other fire departments.
Jenna Wisdom was watching her husband, new recruit Gabriel Wisdom, as he struggled through the 11 minutes. She was sitting on the floor, her baby in her arms, her toddler son at her knee. It had been an emotional day, she said.
“Especially knowing these are the guys who run into danger when people are running away,” she said. “So it’s like – that’s my husband doing that. It’s definitely a reminder that don’t take anything for granted.”
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By halfway through the challenge, the firefighters and new recruits slowed down. Some of them gasped for air. Some leaned over, propping themselves up on the stairclimber armrests.
It’s not easy, according to Senior Capt. Scott Paschall. Especially in a real emergency, he said. First, they have to put on all the heavy gear and then they run as fast as they can up a set of stairs. And that’s just the beginning, he said.
“Once you arrive on the fire floor, you actually have a tremendous amount of work that you have to do,” he said.
Retired firefighter Mike Fish was one of the few people in attendance who was already part of the Anchorage Fire Department on 9/11. He still thinks about that day. On the anniversary, he watches videos and documentaries. Every year, he feels the same sick feeling.
“You know how the camaraderie feels when you’re not in a crisis or you’re not dealing with loss, and how great it feels,” he said. “And then you think about it – ‘Well, if we lost half our station right now, or three quarters of our station right now’ – it’s just incredible.”
That’s really hard for him to imagine, he said.
The danger that comes with the job isn’t something event organizer Chris Pavadore thinks about while he’s at work, he said. It’s when he’s home with his three daughters, that it hits him.
“You get that embrace by a loved one, and you can immediately put yourself in the shoes of the person that you helped care for, and kind of understand what they’re going through,” he said. “And I don’t know if I can ever articulate what that feeling feels like, but it is powerful.”
When he’s had a tough shift, he said, it reminds him why he does the job, and how important it is to take care of everyone else’s loved ones.