With this year being the 20th anniversary of the tragic 9/11 event that shocked the world the Weyburn Fire Rescue chose to pay tribute by taking on a physically enduring feat in full gear.

On the morning of September 11th, ten Weyburn Fire Department members climbed 110 stories by utilizing the Weyburn Agricultural Society's grandstands to represent the 110 floors that were heroically scaled by first responders that were attempting to save people on that unimaginable day.

"Our members got together Saturday morning to climb 110 flights of stairs at the grandstands with permission from the Ag Society," shared local firefighter Katelyn Gateman. "Each of the World Trade Center buildings were 110 stories so this is a way to represent the actions of the fire department and the first responders on September 11th of 2001."

Gateman came up with the idea the day before after seeing other fire departments in the United States and Canada paying tribute in similar ways.

"So I sent out a message to our brigade just to see if there was anyone who would be interested in taking part and there were nine other members that pretty much immediately committed to joining, so we decided to do it," Gateman told. "There were 343 New York City Fire Department first responders who died on 9/11 so doing these 110 flights of stairs really gives you some time to reflect on the efforts of those first responders. After we were done our little climb we had the luxury of going back home to our families whereas those members didn't. So I think the further away we get from the events of September 11th the more important it is to share the stories of what happened that day and the sacrifices that their families have continued to make since then."

She added that the Weyburn Fire Rescue is hoping to turn this physically demanding tribute into an annual event and said that next year they will be planning to also hold a fundraiser for the Canadian Fallen Firefighters Foundation.

"This year we had a whole 24 hours to plan once the thought occurred to me so next year we're hoping to put a little more thought into it and turn this into an annual event for our brigade," expressed Gateman. "So next year we're hoping to be able to make it even bigger and better."

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