{"id":433413,"date":"2026-09-12T01:42:08","date_gmt":"2026-09-12T01:42:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/433413\/"},"modified":"2026-09-12T01:42:08","modified_gmt":"2026-09-12T01:42:08","slug":"san-antonio-fire-department-honors-9-11-firefighters-with-climb","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/433413\/","title":{"rendered":"San Antonio Fire Department honors 9\/11 firefighters with climb"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>With a grueling test of endurance, more than 100 San Antonio firefighters paid tribute Friday to the first responders who reported for duty after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New York City.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn-channels-pixel.ex.co\/events\/0012000001fxZm9AAE?integrationType=DEFAULT&amp;template=design%2Farticle%2Fplatypus_one_column.tpl\" alt=\"\" class=\"x1px y1px vh abs\" aria-hidden=\"true\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\"\/><\/p>\n<p>The San Antonio Fire Department\u2019s cadet class and off-duty firefighters geared up to climb a six-story SAFD training academy building at 8:46 a.m. \u2014 the exact time a hijacked plane struck the World Trade Center\u2019s North Tower 25 years ago.<\/p>\n<p>They climbed and descended stairs for nearly two hours, until they had reached the equivalent of 110 stories \u2014 the height of the World Trade Center\u2019s Twin Towers.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"San Antonio Fire Department cadets and firefighters hike the steps of a training tower at the San Antonio Fire Academy during a remembrance climb honoring firefighters who died Sept. 11, 2001, in the collapse of\u00a0the World Trade Center towers in New York.\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:2 \/ 3\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-gray200 mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>San Antonio Fire Department cadets and firefighters hike the steps of a training tower at the San Antonio Fire Academy during a remembrance climb honoring firefighters who died Sept. 11, 2001, in the collapse of\u00a0the World Trade Center towers in New York.<\/p>\n<p>Andrew J. Whitaker\/San Antonio Express-News<\/p>\n<p>The event began with a prayer and procession led by the SAFD\u2019s Pipe &amp; Drum Brigade. The group, donning kilts, played \u201cAmazing Grace\u201d on the bagpipes as firefighters geared up in more than 60 pounds of equipment, recreating the conditions faced by first responders on Sept. 11.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo those of you who are joining us in our profession, I want you to consider what those firefighters set out to do that day,\u201d Jesse Davila, an SAFD safety division executive officer, told the cadets before the climb.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0\u201cNone of them knew how the day would end. None of them know what awaited them on the floors above. All they knew was people needed their help, so they climbed,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>Before they began climbing, each firefighter touched a metal tile, formerly a support beam in one of the Twin Towers. They attached nametags bearing the names of all 343 firefighters who died on Sept. 11 to their jackets and helmets.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re going to walk on behalf of all those who came before us,\u201d Davila said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The firefighters climbed steadily as recordings of sirens and first responders urging screaming civilians to \u201cstay calm\u201d played through loudspeakers. They paused only for moments of silence, announced by\u00a0Davila to mark key moments from Sept. 11.<\/p>\n<p>At 9:03 a.m., they stood in silence to mark the moment another hijacked plane struck the World Trade Center\u2019s South Tower.<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>At 9:37 a.m., they honored those killed when a hijacked plane crashed into the Pentagon.<\/p>\n<p>At 9:59 a.m., they commemorated the collapse of the South Tower.<\/p>\n<p>At 10:03 a.m., they honored the passengers and crew of United Airlines Flight 93, who fought hijackers aboard a plane headed for Washington D.C. It crashed in a field near Shanksville, Pa.<\/p>\n<p>Finally, at 10:28 a.m., they stood in silence remembering the collapse of the North Tower.<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>After each moment of silence, the firefighters set off their PASS devices \u2014 loud alarms that activate when a firefighter is trapped, injured or unconscious.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you listen to news footage after the buildings collapsed, you hear the PASS devices going off,\u201d SAFD spokesman Joe\u00a0Arrington told the San Antonio Express-News. \u201cWe want our cadets to feel that.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The climb is an annual tradition for cadets, Arrington said. They typically participate in the SA 110 Memorial Climb at the Tower of the Americas, sponsored by a nonprofit. But <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kens5.com\/article\/news\/local\/sa-110-memorial-tower-climb-postponed-venue-issues-new-date-still-to-be-determined-tower-of-americas\/273-c8e9ee0d-4b0e-4add-a5e9-10788ba8360e\" data-link=\"native\" class=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">when organizers postponed this year\u2019s event<\/a> because of a conflict with a vendor, the fire department organized its own memorial climb.<\/p>\n<p>Arrington said the climb is designed to \u201chammer down the ultimate sacrifice\u201d made by firefighters that day for the cadets, most of whom either hadn&#8217;t been born yet or were too young to remember the Sept. 11 attacks.<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe hope it gives them a thought in the back of their heads that this is a calling that you signed up for, and you never know what you\u2019re going to be called to do,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s about knowing that 343 of our brothers and sisters paid that ultimate sacrifice, and the reality of what we do is that we could be called to do the same thing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>After they finished their climb, the firefighters, sweat pouring down their faces, lined up to read the names of the Sept. 11 responders who died in the attacks. Between heavy breaths, they read the names aloud and rang a bell three times in honor of each fallen firefighter.<\/p>\n<p>The bell kept ringing until after 11 a.m.<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"Nicolette Gonzalez rings a bell during a memorial climb at the San Antonio Fire Academy honoring firefighters\u00a0who died Sept. 11, 2001, in the collapse of the World Trade Center towers in New York.\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:2 \/ 3\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-gray200 mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Nicolette Gonzalez rings a bell during a memorial climb at the San Antonio Fire Academy honoring firefighters\u00a0who died Sept. 11, 2001, in the collapse of the World Trade Center towers in New York.<\/p>\n<p>Andrew J. Whitaker\/San Antonio Express-News<\/p>\n<p>Abraham\u00a0Rondez, a 30-year-old cadet, participated in his first memorial climb. He said he&#8217;d wanted to join the SAFD for as long as he could remember, and that\u00a0it took him four years to get accepted.<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s tough on the body, but they train us well for it. McHugh, O\u2019Keefe\u00a0\u2014 they keep me going,\u201d he said, pointing to the nametags pinned to his hat and jacket.<\/p>\n<p>Brady Pearson, a 25-year-old cadet, described the experience as \u201cheart-wrenching\u201d as he sat down to remove his helmet and jacket after the climb.<\/p>\n<p>Both Rondez and Pearson started cadet training in May and will graduate in December.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"uiTextSmall f aic jcc\">Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy takeaway is just how hard this job is,\u201d Pearson said. \u201cIt takes so much courage, bravery and heart to do this, and I\u2019m honored to be out here helping people like this.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"Two firefighters embrace after completing a remembrance climb at the San Antonio Fire Academy honoring firefighters who died Sept. 11, 2001, in the collapse of the World Trade Center towers in New York.\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-gray200 mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Two firefighters embrace after completing a remembrance climb at the San Antonio Fire Academy honoring firefighters who died Sept. 11, 2001, in the collapse of the World Trade Center towers in New York.<\/p>\n<p>Andrew J. Whitaker\/San Antonio Express-News<img alt=\"San Antonio firefighters and cadets listen to radio calls from 9\/11 before participating in a remembrance climb at their training tower at the San Antonio Fire Academy on Friday, Sept. 11, 2026. The climb honored\u00a0firefighters who died Sept. 11, 2001, in the collapse of the World Trade Center towers in New York.\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-gray200 mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>San Antonio firefighters and cadets listen to radio calls from 9\/11 before participating in a remembrance climb at their training tower at the San Antonio Fire Academy on Friday, Sept. 11, 2026. The climb honored\u00a0firefighters who died Sept. 11, 2001, in the collapse of the World Trade Center towers in New York.<\/p>\n<p>Andrew J. Whitaker\/San Antonio Express-News<img alt=\"Angelica Flores, far right, stands in line with fellow firefighters at the San Antonio Fire Academy on Friday, Sept. 11, 2026. They participated in a remembrance climb honoring\u00a0firefighters who died Sept. 11, 2001, in the collapse of the World Trade Center towers in New York.\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-gray200 mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Angelica Flores, far right, stands in line with fellow firefighters at the San Antonio Fire Academy on Friday, Sept. 11, 2026. They participated in a remembrance climb honoring\u00a0firefighters who died Sept. 11, 2001, in the collapse of the World Trade Center towers in New York.<\/p>\n<p>Andrew J. Whitaker\/San Antonio Express-News<img alt=\"The San Antonio Fire Department honor guard performs at the fire academy on Friday, Sept. 11, 2026. Firefighters and cadets participated in a remembrance climb honoring\u00a0firefighters who died Sept. 11, 2001, in the collapse of the World Trade Center towers in New York.\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-gray200 mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>The San Antonio Fire Department honor guard performs at the fire academy on Friday, Sept. 11, 2026. Firefighters and cadets participated in a remembrance climb honoring\u00a0firefighters who died Sept. 11, 2001, in the collapse of the World Trade Center towers in New York.<\/p>\n<p>Andrew J. Whitaker\/San Antonio Express-News<img alt=\"San Antonio firefighters and cadets listen to radio calls from 9\/11 before participating in a remembrance climb at their training tower at the San Antonio Fire Academy on Friday, Sept. 11, 2026. The climb honored firefighters who died Sept. 11, 2001, in the collapse of the World Trade Center towers in New York.\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-gray200 mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>San Antonio firefighters and cadets listen to radio calls from 9\/11 before participating in a remembrance climb at their training tower at the San Antonio Fire Academy on Friday, Sept. 11, 2026. The climb honored firefighters who died Sept. 11, 2001, in the collapse of the World Trade Center towers in New York.<\/p>\n<p>Andrew J. Whitaker\/San Antonio Express-News<img alt=\"San Antonio firefighters reach for nametags honoring firefighters who died Sept. 11, 2001, in the collapse of the World Trade Center towers in New York.\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-gray200 mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>San Antonio firefighters reach for nametags honoring firefighters who died Sept. 11, 2001, in the collapse of the World Trade Center towers in New York.<\/p>\n<p>Andrew J. Whitaker\/San Antonio Express-News<img alt=\"San Antonio firefighter Brian Miles affixes to his helmet the names of two firefighters who died Sept. 11, 2001, in the collapse of the World Trade Center towers in New York.\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-gray200 mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>San Antonio firefighter Brian Miles affixes to his helmet the names of two firefighters who died Sept. 11, 2001, in the collapse of the World Trade Center towers in New York.<\/p>\n<p>Andrew J. Whitaker\/San Antonio Express-News<img alt=\"San Antonio firefighters and cadets hike the steps of a training tower at the fire academy during a remembrance climb honoring firefighters who died Sept. 11, 2001, in the collapse of the World Trade Center towers in New York.\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:4 \/ 3\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-gray200 mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>San Antonio firefighters and cadets hike the steps of a training tower at the fire academy during a remembrance climb honoring firefighters who died Sept. 11, 2001, in the collapse of the World Trade Center towers in New York.<\/p>\n<p>Andrew J. Whitaker\/San Antonio Express-News<img alt=\"San Antonio firefighter Brian Miles reaches the top of a fire academy training tower after a remembrance climb honoring firefighters who died Sept. 11, 2001, in the collapse of the World Trade Center towers in New York.\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-gray200 mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>San Antonio firefighter Brian Miles reaches the top of a fire academy training tower after a remembrance climb honoring firefighters who died Sept. 11, 2001, in the collapse of the World Trade Center towers in New York.<\/p>\n<p>Andrew J. Whitaker\/San Antonio Express-News<img alt=\"San Antonio firefighter Brandon\u00a0Ojeda reaches the top of a fire academy training tower after a remembrance climb honoring firefighters who died Sept. 11, 2001, in the collapse of the World Trade Center towers in New York.\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-gray200 mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>San Antonio firefighter Brandon\u00a0Ojeda reaches the top of a fire academy training tower after a remembrance climb honoring firefighters who died Sept. 11, 2001, in the collapse of the World Trade Center towers in New York.<\/p>\n<p>Andrew J. Whitaker\/San Antonio Express-News<img alt=\"San Antonio firefighters and cadets line up to climb the stairs of a training tower at the fire academy to honor firefighters who died Sept. 11, 2001, in the collapse of the World Trade Center towers in New York.\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:4 \/ 3\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-gray200 mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>San Antonio firefighters and cadets line up to climb the stairs of a training tower at the fire academy to honor firefighters who died Sept. 11, 2001, in the collapse of the World Trade Center towers in New York.<\/p>\n<p>Andrew J. Whitaker\/San Antonio Express-News<img alt=\"San Antonio firefighters and cadets climb the stairs of a training tower at the fire academy to honor firefighters who died Sept. 11, 2001, in the collapse of the World Trade Center towers in New York.\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-gray200 mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>San Antonio firefighters and cadets climb the stairs of a training tower at the fire academy to honor firefighters who died Sept. 11, 2001, in the collapse of the World Trade Center towers in New York.<\/p>\n<p>Andrew J. Whitaker\/San Antonio Express-News<img alt=\"San Antonio firefighters and cadets climb the stairs of a training tower at the fire academy to honor firefighters who died Sept. 11, 2001, in the collapse of the World Trade Center towers in New York.\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-gray200 mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>San Antonio firefighters and cadets climb the stairs of a training tower at the fire academy to honor firefighters who died Sept. 11, 2001, in the collapse of the World Trade Center towers in New York.<\/p>\n<p>Andrew J. Whitaker\/San Antonio Express-News<img alt=\"San Antonio firefighter Brian Miles carries an American flag during a memorial climb honoring firefighters who died Sept. 11, 2001, in the collapse of the World Trade Center towers in New York.\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:3 \/ 2\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-gray200 mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>San Antonio firefighter Brian Miles carries an American flag during a memorial climb honoring firefighters who died Sept. 11, 2001, in the collapse of the World Trade Center towers in New York.<\/p>\n<p>Andrew J. Whitaker\/San Antonio Express-News<img alt=\"San Antonio firefighters Nicolette Gonzalez, right, and Brian Miles hug after completing a remembrance climb honoring firefighters who died Sept. 11, 2001, in the collapse of the World Trade Center towers in New York.\" loading=\"lazy\"   style=\"aspect-ratio:4 \/ 3\" class=\"x100 y100 opc bgpc ofcv bgscv block bg-gray200 mnh0px fill\"\/><\/p>\n<p>San Antonio firefighters Nicolette Gonzalez, right, and Brian Miles hug after completing a remembrance climb honoring firefighters who died Sept. 11, 2001, in the collapse of the World Trade Center towers in New York.<\/p>\n<p>Andrew J. Whitaker\/San Antonio Express-News<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"With a grueling test of endurance, more than 100 San Antonio firefighters paid tribute Friday to the first&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":433414,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[82,84,83],"class_list":["post-433413","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-antonio","tag-san-antonio","tag-san-antonio-headlines","tag-san-antonio-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/433413","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=433413"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/433413\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/433414"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=433413"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=433413"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=433413"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}