Five-hundred and twenty-nine steps make up the Sky Steps in Durango. Early Thursday morning, about 100 community members and first responders commemorated the 24th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks by climbing the steps five times – equivalent to the number of stairs firefighters climbed in the World Trade Center in 2001.
Near the top of the steps, a twisted and burned piece of I-beam from the towers lay cradled in a Durango Fire Protection District gurney, flanked by a Colorado and an American flag. It was a solemn reminder of one of the nation’s darkest days, but also a symbol of heroism of the first responders who served, and those who lost their lives.
Rich Dory, who served for the Chicago Fire Department for 37 years before moving to Durango, was in New York City, working as peer support for the firefighters trying to save people after the towers fell. He said he was honored to be at the event, and grateful to see the community come together.
“It’s not about completing five laps,” he said. “Everybody’s kind of going through their own experience and their own journey with it, but we’re all sharing an experience, and that shared experience is to honor and commemorate and remember, certainly everyone that perished that day on 9/11 in 2001.”
Before the climb began, Dory was asked to give a speech for the assembled crowd – honoring the 343 firefighters, 70 law enforcement, 90 EMS and nearly 3,000 civilians who lost their lives in 2001, and those who have died from illness and mental health issues since.
A moment of silence ensued.
“God bless you all, brothers and sisters,” Dory said. “I love you all to death. Let’s never forget.”
With that, Upper Pine River Fire Protection District Capt. Mark Flemming thanked the crowd, then, playing “Amazing Grace” performed by the Fire Department New York Pipes and Drums on a Bluetooth speaker, commenced the climb.
Firefighters wearing full bunker gear climbed alongside friends and family members in sneakers, hugging, high-fiving and encouraging one another along the way, their laughter and panting drifting on the early autumn breeze. The smell of sweat, old smoke and two-stroke fuel from the chain saws of DFPD’s wildland fire crew mingled with the sweet scents of rain and sage brush.
Though the memorial commemorated a sad day, people were smiling and supporting one another. To many, it was a reminder of their shared humanity, and the bonds that communities have that violence will never break.
A school shooting Wednesday at Evergreen High School left one student in critical condition and the shooter dead. On the same day, conservative influencer Charlie Kirk was shot and killed while holding an event in Utah. The shootings cast a long shadow over an already solemn day.
Durango Fire Protection District Randy Black said the two tragedies made the day extra difficult.
“I’m feeling sad,” he said. “Today we are recognizing the evil that happened in our country 24 years ago. We saw it again yesterday in Utah and in our state in Evergreen.”
Black pointed out that law enforcement officials were largely absent from the memorial because they were sending extra personnel to patrol Durango because of heightened tension and threats of violence. It frustrated him, he said, because both Sept. 11 and Wednesday’s violence were caused by people’s inability to communicate with each other.
“What has happened with mental health and people’s inability to communicate anymore, it’s just a shame,” he said. “This is a memorial of lack of ability to communicate, lack of, you know, recognition of humanity.”
Yet, even though the mood was darkened, a desire to come together and celebrate empathy was a shared theme among those in attendance. For Flemming, the event embodied what inspired him to become a first responder.
“It’s hard to put into words, but I think that the ethos of a first responder is to be there for the community,” he said.
Flemming said what drives him and his fellow first responders is a willingness to put themselves in harm’s way to help others. The stair climb is a testament to that spirit, which was displayed back in 2001 for the firefighters at Ground Zero.
“It’s this really pure form of humanity,” he said. “I think what we all are here to share and cherish is that we truly are here for each other, and for that shared experience, and again, to commemorate those that unfortunately paid the ultimate sacrifice to be there for other people.”
That was one of the main reasons why Kye Cordes and Chris Porter, both 24, decided to become firefighters in the first place. Porter’s uncle was a firefighter, he said, and inspired him with his stories and selflessness. Cordes, on the other hand, found his way to full-time firefighting after working as a seasonal wildland firefighter in Durango. For both of them, the camaraderie and high purpose of firefighting was what keeps them coming back.
“It seemed like just the best job in the world helping people, and you get to hang out and have a second family,” Cordes said.
Danielle and Brayton Thurber took their two daughters, 13-year-old Aivhleen and 9-year-old Cillian, to Thursday’s climb. As a family, they ascended and descended the stairs all five times, with Aivhleen hauling a firefighter’s air canister on her back the entire way.
Though neither Aivhleen and Cillian were alive when the towers fell, they both felt called to participate in the climb, and inspired to learn from the tragedy.
“It’s important because we need to have good memory of what happened,” Cillian said.
For her older sister Aivhleen, the fact that neither she nor her sister were alive meant it was all the more important to carry the memory forward.
“It’s more important for us to be aware of what happened, because we weren’t there, and a lot of the time the reason that history is taught ... is to prevent it from ever happening again,” she said. “We never want a tragedy like this to ever occur again. I'll be prepared for it.”
Both Aivhleen and Cillian mentioned how it was important for them to go out of their way to be kind to other people, even strangers on the street. A little kindness goes a long way, they said.
“If people were nicer to people they disliked, a lot of things happen,” Cillian said. “But with everybody you come in contact with, the guy on the street that you walk past when you go to the grocery store and you say, ‘Hey, how’s your day going?’ Or ‘What are you up to today? Have a great rest of your day.’ Just adding positivity to the world might help.”
Dory echoed that sentiment. While serving as peer support for firefighters at Ground Zero, the New Yorkers were stand-offish at first – it was their city, after all. But he gently offered them his help, whether that be getting them something to drink or lending a shoulder to cry on.
“I went there to be able to talk to the guys on the piles,” Dory said. “It was tough, but it was tougher for them.”
He said that though Sept. 11 was a day marred by hate-fueled violence, Dory felt like it also highlighted a shared sense of humanity – something he urged people to remember.
“It’s hard to pass by someone in need and not want to help,” he said. “It’s not just limited to first responders, it’s human nature. But too many people are so afraid now. Just be a human.”
sedmondson@durangoherald.com
