Oakville Fire Department honours 25th anniversary of 9/11 with memorial stair climb

The Oakville Fire Department (OFD) held a memorial stair climb event Friday morning to honour the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks.

This event was held at the Oakville Training Campus for Emergency Excellence, commemorating and honouring the lives of firefighters who sacrificed their lives to rescue hundreds of civilians during the attacks.

Over $1,700 was raised in T-shirt sales to support the families of New York City firefighters who died, including 35 year-old Stephen Siller, an off-duty firefighter from Brooklyn, who was heading home when he heard the call.

“He left his vehicle, put on 60 pounds of firefighting gear and ran two miles through the tunnel, making it to the World Trade Centre. He joined his crew, tagged in and entered the towers and never left,” said Andrew Marchand, Oakville fire’s acting captain.

“A total of 343 firefighters gave their lives as heroes wanting to save the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Their sacrifice took the total toll of death up to 2,977 people. This is a day to appreciate what was given and what was lost,” said Mayor Rob Burton.

WATCH MORE: Canadians killed in 9/11 attacks honoured during St. Catharines tree planting ceremony

“I was personally very young when it happened but I always made it a goal every single year to do this climb with my Oakville brothers and sisters to best remember them and their families,” said Nicole Vaneerd, an Oakville firefighter.

Members of OFD, the Oakville Professional Fire Fighters Association and members of council all attended the memorial event.

The commemoration included an opportunity for OFD members to share where they were when they heard the news and how it impacted their lives. They also took part in a moment of silence.

Firefighters were invited to climb the Fire Fit Tower 20 times and take part in a tire-flipping challenge across the training campus.

“It’s especially important for our newest members to carry this day forward and continue to honour it long after those of us who lived through it are gone,” said Fire Chief Paul Bossionneault.

“So we do this climb, even though it was very minor to deal with. It gives us a small glimpse into how hard it would have been for them to climb those towers to try and save some lives.”

READ MORE: U.S. and Canada mark 25 years since 9/11 terror attacks