A Jacksonville firefighter will climb the equivalent of 110 flights of stairs Friday as he honors the first responders who lost their lives on 9/11.

Nicholas Billups, a Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department firefighter, will begin the climb at 9 a.m. at the Williams Family YMCA, 10415 San Jose Blvd. The climb is part of a tribute marking the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.

Billups said he first took part in the climb a couple of years ago, before he had reached his first fire station.

“I was given the opportunity and privilege to give honor and thanks to the brave men and women of 9/11,” Billups said. “The first time I was able to do it, it was nothing short of humbling.” He said the experience gave him a deeper understanding of the people whose sacrifice he was honoring.

“It really kind of just gave me a better understanding and appreciation for not just my job title, but the ultimate sacrifice that the brave souls did,” Billups said. Friday will be Billups’ sixth time completing the climb. He said becoming a firefighter has changed how he views what happened that day and what first responders faced when they went into the towers.

“It was a huge team that went in and did their job,” Billups said. “No one can really prepare us for what happened. We go to our job, put our gear on our engine, our fire truck, and simply just go to work.”

Billups will not wear his bunker gear or an air pack during the climb. The firefighter gear he will wear weighs about 30 to 40 pounds, he said. “It’s limiting in terms of how you can move around,” Billups said. “It keeps the heat in, but it keeps you safe.”

The climb is 110 flights, or more than 2,000 steps. Billups said the physical demand becomes more noticeable as he continues, but he focuses on finishing. “This is just a small glimpse of what the people up in New York had experienced,” Billups said. “It gives me a perspective of, I can do this, just keep going, just move forward.”

He expects the climb to take about 30 to 40 minutes at a steady pace. Billups said he is not trying to set a record. “I’m not trying to break any records or anything,” Billups said. “I’m just trying to survive and get through it.”

Billups said the experience is meant to give him a small sense of what those first responders endured while keeping the sacrifice at the center of the tribute. “Though this is a very small scale, its authenticity is not lost on me,” Billups said. “There’s eons of things that they experienced and felt.”

He said he continues to volunteer for the climb and has repeatedly asked the YMCA if he could return. “Every year I would do it, I would ask the YMCA, ‘Hey, can I come here and do it? Can I come here and do it?'” Billups said. “Again, I’m volunteering to do it, but I don’t take it for granted.”

The Williams Family YMCA also has personal significance for Billups. He said he previously worked there as a martial arts teacher and personal trainer. The tribute has also given Billups a personal connection to someone who witnessed the attacks in New York. He said a close friend who witnessed the towers fall joined him for the climb after asking if she could participate.

“To hear her story is awe inspiring,” Billups said. “Her actual details, it really, it grabs you.” He said watching her complete the climb with him has become another source of motivation.

“To see her today, and doing it with me, it gives me strength,” Billups said. “It definitely gives me a lot of motivation.” Billups said the message he hopes to leave with people who may not remember 9/11 is to recognize the work of first responders.

“Pick your heads up and just smile and be thankful for, you know, not just firefighters, but also a lot of our first responders, our police officers,” Billups said. “We are here for you. We are here to help. We are here to serve.” When he reaches the end of the climb Friday, Billups said he will be thinking about the families and firefighters who lost someone 25 years ago.

“We’re praying for you,” Billups said. “We love you. Lend us your strength.”