Following Fallen Heroes

Three Texarkana firefighters participate in the 9/11 stair climb as a tribute to their brothers and sisters who made the ultimate sacrifice

by PEYTON SIMS

photo by JOHN BUNCH

Eric and Dustin on their way to touch the steel beam from the World Trade Center before they begin the stair climb in Dallas.

For most children, a visit to their local fire station is a highlight of their elementary school years that isn’t easily forgotten.  Donning the gear and sitting in a fire truck is simply magical and often inspires dreams of one day becoming a firefighter.  But few have what it takes to accept such a calling – because firefighting requires a willingness to place one’s life in danger to ensure others are safe.  Those who accept that calling deserve deep gratitude and respect – and merit the term “heroes.”

America recently marked the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on our homeland when hundreds of heroes bravely and willingly gave their lives to try to save their fellow countrymen.  There have been many memorials and tributes over the years but, perhaps, some of the most meaningful are the annual stair climbs that take place at locations across the country.  Firefighters, police officers, and first responders gather to climb 110 flights of stairs in full gear in honor of their brothers and sisters who perished that day – running into the buildings and up the stairs as panicked victims desperately made their way out.

Each climber touched this steel beam that was a part of the World Trade Center as they were beginning the climb as a symbol of honor to those who lost their lives on 9/11.

On September 4, three Texarkana, Texas, firefighters participated in the Dallas 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb.  Driver Engineer Zachary Flanagan, Captain Eric McCasland, and Driver Engineer Dustin Newman shared that the events of September 11, 2001, influenced their career paths so each of them eagerly accepted the stair climb challenge when fellow firefighter Marty Lawrence shared his experience in the Little Rock 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb a few years ago.  Lawrence, a recently retired Driver Engineer with Texarkana Texas Fire Department, served as coordinator for the Fire and EMS division of this year’s Dallas stair climb event.

 “Marty shared his experience and encouraged our current members to show up and honor those 343 FDNY firefighters that died on 9/11,” Captain McCasland shared.  “It was something that I always thought was an awesome tribute to those who lost their lives, but actually climbing … there’s no feeling like that!”

Even though participating in the stair climb was a tremendous honor, all three of the men were quick to admit that it was definitely a challenge.  “Training was rougher than I originally thought,” Flanagan admitted.  “I knew it wouldn’t be a cake walk, 110 stories is a tough gig no matter how you spin it.  There was just as much mental preparation as physical.  You had to remember that the guys that day didn’t get to prepare – they had to climb against the stream of people headed down.  They climbed essentially into the unknown, and many, I’m sure, knew they probably wouldn’t make it out.  I told myself every step I took during training or during the event represented a memory of a loved one lost that day.”

Texarkana Texas Fire Department was well represented at the 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb.  Pictured are: Don Rich (volunteer), Eric McCasland, Zach Flanagan and Dustin Newman (climbers), and Marty Lawrence (retired TTFD firefighter and part of the 9/11 team that helped put this event together).

“The majority of us work out while on duty but this was a different kind of beast,” Newman added.  “It all comes down to mental toughness/determination and discipline.  You have to be disciplined to prepare yourself and to put in the time.  We were very fortunate that Texas A&M University-Texarkana allowed us to use their stairways to train in.  We would train at TAMUT, at the station on stair climber machines, in the stands at Arkansas High School, and even went to Wright Patman dam to climb stairs.  We did this from June to the week before the stair climb.”

“When I registered for the Dallas Stair Climb, I knew climbing 110 floors in full gear was going to be a challenge – it didn’t disappoint either,” McCasland recalled.  “One thing I overlooked was the fact that we’d essentially climb over 1,000 floors in preparing for the actual 9/11 Stair Climb.  I would compare it to training for a half-marathon.  As physical as it was, a big part is mental.  You just have to keep your legs moving.”

Patches were placed on this board to represent each fire or police department that had a member in attendance for the stair climb.

As the date for the event neared, it became doubtful that it would actually take place due to the latest round of COVID-19 but the Dallas Stair Climb staff and committees were determined to make the event happen and keep all climbers and volunteers as safe as possible.  “The event was an awesome experience,” Flanagan declared.  “COVID put a dent in it in regard to families being able to come and be a part of it – but that didn’t change my mind in the slightest on whether I was taking part or not.  The event wasn’t about us – it was about the firefighters, EMS workers, and police officers who were killed that day.  The organizers and volunteers did an amazing job of keeping that the focus.”

Perhaps one of the most meaningful aspects of the stair climb was that each climber was given the name of an individual who perished on September 11, 2001.  “It was a great honor to climb in remembrance of all who perished on 9/11, let alone the individual,” Newman shared.  “I had the honor to climb for FDNY Battalion Chief Charles Kasper.  To think of the conditions that those heroes climbed in, not knowing what to expect … I really don’t have the words to express how much of an honor it was to climb in remembrance of them.”

Eric McCasland concurred – “I climbed in place of FDNY Firefighter Brian Bilcher.  Bilcher was a 10-year veteran of FDNY and assigned to Squad Company 1 in Brooklyn.  I knew well in advance who I’d be climbing for.  This is a big deal for most climbers.  A big part of remembrance is researching the firefighter, his family, and his career.  Knowing who’s counting on you to get to the top is the ultimate motivation to get there!”

“I climbed in honor of Captain Thomas Moody from Division 1 FDNY,” Flanagan advised.  “I learned Captain Moody reported for duty at Hazardous Materials Operations in Queens that morning.  He was 45 years old with a loving wife, Maureen, and four beautiful children, Jessica, Erin, Sean, and Deirdre.  He was part of a fire fighting family – his father, Charles, Uncle William, and both brothers, Frank and Michael, were all members of FDNY.  He was a family man who loved to joke around.  Captain Moody served 18 years with FDNY.  I was humbled and incredibly honored to climb representing this brave man.  There were points during the climb that it became my focus.  I blocked out how tired I was and focused on finishing for him – after all, it was all for them.”

From the opening ceremonies, speaker, the bagpipes and drums, placing their hands on the I beam from the actual World Trade Center, to finishing the climb and placing the accountability tag on the board with the name of the person they were climbing for on it – every facet of the event was geared toward keeping the memory alive and honoring the fallen heroes, and rightfully so.  

In remembering the fallen heroes, it is important to understand what leads a person to the fire service.  “It is a calling to be a firefighter,” Newman stated proudly.  “It is not a career but a way of life.  It is not for everyone (and that’s fine).  It is a brotherhood.  We spend about a third of our lives living at the stations, around our fellow brothers – through the good times and the bad times.  We live together, eat together, train together.  Over time, that bond is inevitable.  In the fire service, you have to have trust in one another.”

“It’s the best job in the world!  There are a lot of long days and sleepless nights.  You will be tried and tested.  You won’t get rich, but you will gain a family and a brotherhood like no other,” Flanagan noted.  “When you enter a life or death situation, there is no time to contemplate if the person beside you is capable of handling it with you or not.  That trust is built at the station, in training, and off duty.  You develop bonds that you can’t explain.  You really do become family – so you learn not to just trust them on a call or in a bad situation – you learn to treat them like you would a brother.”

When asked what advice he would offer to someone considering a career in fire service, McCasland offered wise counsel.  “Make sure your heart is in it.  This isn’t a glamorous job.  You’ll need a stomach made of cast iron.  If you can’t be trusted, you won’t work in a firehouse very long.  Trust is what allows us to go home at the end of a shift. “

All three of these men are quick to agree that the rewards of being a firefighter far outweigh the risks.  The danger and safety issue is always present and something they must be aware of on a daily basis.  Training and continuing education help to minimize the risk.  “There is always a risk that we may not come home; however, we train for those situations, and we work as a team,” Flanagan explained.  “Being surrounded by guys who I know have my back no matter what and will stand beside me in those situations helps to make dealing with those situations easier.”  

Perhaps Newman expressed their commitment best by stating, “Everyone that enters the fire service knows that they are always potentially going to be faced with an incident/situation that they will have to put it all on the line.  I can speak for me that it goes back to ‘it was a calling.’  I was called to do this job/duty.  If it comes to the potential to save a life, I will be ready to take the necessary risks.  Risk a little to save a little; risk a lot to save a lot.”

May we honor and always remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice and be grateful for those who accepted the call to risk their lives for ours. 

And He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.  – Revelation 21:4 (NASB) 

Dustin, Eric, and Zach after the climb, holding pictures of the fallen firefighters that they each represented.