PPPVFD chief and SVFD firefighter participate in 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb

For the second year in a row, Pontiac/Price Place Volunteer Fire Department Chief Khristie Jacquin and Squires VFD firefighter Falecia Watson participated in the Missouri State Fire Marshal 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb in Jefferson City. The event honors the 343 New York City firefighters, as well as police and emergency medical service responders, who died on Sept. 11, 2001, in the attack on the World Trade Center. 

“I climb…so the memory of the 343 firefighters will live on forever. It’s the least a fellow firefighter can do in their memory and for their surviving families. I also try to inspire folks to get out and volunteer with their local fire department,” Khristie told the Times. 

The 2022 Missouri 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb

Khristie and Falecia participated in this year’s climb, held Oct. 22, with more than 60 fellow firefighters.

Participants climbed 110 flights of stairs to represent the World Trade Center stairways where many FDNY firefighters died when the buildings collapsed. 

Khristie said the day started with Missouri State Fire Marshal Tim Bean saying a few words, followed by an award ceremony for the firefighters and their departments who raised the most money through the event. This year’s climb raised more than $24,000 for Supporting Heroes, a nonprofit organization focused on supporting the families of fallen public safety officers. 

Jefferson City Mayor Carrie Tergin then addressed the group. She also participated, climbing all 110 staircases while wearing high heels. 

After the mayor’s speech,  the names of all Missouri firefighters who had died in the year prior were read, so that the climbers could also honor their memory. Each participant received lanyards with the names of FDNY firefighters that perished during 9/11 printed on them - and they started their climb. 

“The stairwells are lined with pictures of the 343 fallen FDNY firefighters. We always look for our firefighters [on our lanyards] as we are climbing, and when we see them, we take a photo,” Khristie explained.  

They climbed the equivalent of 110 stories by hiking up the 13 flights of the building, then descending to reclimb them again until they accumulate the full 110 staircases. She said it takes five passes up the stairs to finalize the climb, which she completed in about an hour. 

“When you climb, you read the name of your firefighter and ring the bell which honors those who have completed their task and are called upon one last time. There is so much camaraderie during these events. Family members, children and others who would like to climb or donate are also involved,” she said. 

‘I will climb until my body tells me otherwise’

Khristie says the event and what it symbolizes is close to her heart. “[9/11] is a day I will never forget. I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing.  I am sure many Americans feel the same way. 

“I was getting ready for work and had the local news on in my bedroom. The first plane had already hit the first tower. As I stood there and watched, I called my dad and asked if he was watching also. 

“We stayed on the phone for over an hour watching the second plane hit the second tower, people jumping out of the windows, the FDNY fire trucks, NYPD police, Port Authority Police and EMS ambulance crews rushing to the scene, as people were either standing there in disbelief or running away from the two towers. 

“I remember we were both so choked up, that we had a hard time saying bye and love you when we hung up the phone.”

That historic day and the patriotism it fueled is part of what leads Khristie and the others to participate in the annual event, keeping alive the memories of those who gave their lives that day. 

“Through firefighter and community participation we can ensure that each of the 343 firefighters is honored and that the world knows that we will never forget,” she said. “I will climb until my body tells me otherwise,” she said.