Jackson Firefighters Participate in 9-11 Memorial Stair Climb

Jackson Fire Rescue Capt. Greg Hecht participates in the 9-11 Memorial Stair Climb on Thursday, Sept. 11, at HealthPoint Fitness in Jackson.

Jackson firefighters climbed "stairs" at HealthPoint Fitness in Jackson on Thursday, Sept. 11, to honor the New York City firefighters who died 13 years ago in the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center.

About a dozen Jackson firefighters wore 50-pound weight vests while on the StairMaster to reflect the weight of the turnout gear that the New York firefighters were wearing when they died. Some Jackson firefighters wore turnout gear while climbing the "stairs."

The Jackson firefighters took turns climbing the "stairs" for a combined total of 343 minutes, a minute for each New York City firefighter who died in the World Trade Center terrorist attack 13 years ago.

Jackson Fire Rescue Capt. Greg Hecht, who organized the 9-11 Memorial Stair Climb and was the first person on the StairMaster on Thursday, "climbed" 3,411 steps in an hour before stepping aside for the next firefighter to take the "stairs." In all, Jackson firefighters climbed a total of 17,364 steps.

Hecht says he and his fellow Jackson firefighters wanted to honor "343 of our brothers who made the ultimate sacrifice. They were climbing to help others retreat to safety. We climb to ensure that the fallen firefighters of Sept. 11 are never forgotten."

Scott Givens, manager of HealthPoint in Jackson, says the fitness center was proud to partner with Jackson Fire Rescue in honoring the sacrifices of those 9-11 heroes.