WALLACE – Over the past nine years, the 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb has grown from a quiet, two-person tribute into an annual community event that now draws more than 100 participants from across the region. 

Firefighters, law enforcement officers, and emergency medical personnel gathered Thursday morning near the Wallace Pool to mark 24 years since the September 11 attacks, honoring the brave men and women who ran toward danger as others fled. 

Shoshone County Fire District #1 Chief John Miller, one of the original two participants, shared how the climb began. 

“I was a senior in high school on September 11,” Miller said. “I remember the day really well, but I was still real young and didn’t quite grasp it. Then I did a stair climb in Denver, and as a firefighter, it really opened my eyes.” 

After that experience, Miller invited a few others to join him the following year. Soon, wildland firefighters from the Idaho Department of Lands came aboard, followed by agencies from across the panhandle. As interest grew, Miller began receiving requests from community members who wanted to participate. 

This year, in addition to first responders, local figures such as Shoshone County Prosecuting Attorney Ben Allen and Wallace City Councilman Elmer Mattila joined the climb, ascending 111 flights of stairs to honor the heroes of 9/11. 

Many of the first responder climbers wore their full gear, including carrying additional tools and equipment, as they repeatedly scaled the hillside.

Before the climb began, Capt. Seth Green of the Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office addressed the crowd, referencing the recent tragedy on Canfield Mountain in Coeur d’Alene, where hundreds of first responders again rushed toward danger. 

“To know that 300 of us responded, willing to be the next to give our lives if needed, should strike a chord with all of us,” Green said. “We all knew this would be a day that would not be forgotten, much like 9/11.” 

Both Green and Miller called for unity among Americans in the face of historic and recent tragedy, with Miller reading from Elizabeth S. Gray’s open letter, “I Miss 9/12.” 

“I would never want another 9/11, but I miss the America of 9/12,” Miller read. “Stores ran out of flags to sell because they were flown everywhere. People were Americans before they were upper or lower class, Jewish or Christian, Republican or Democrat. On 9/12, what mattered more was what united us than what divided us.” 

Green also spoke directly to fellow first responders, many of whom are mourning the recent loss of Battalion Chiefs Frank Hardwood and John Morrison, who died on Canfield Mountain. 

“In any situation, we will always have two options at the end of it,” he said. “One option is for us to become weaker and allow anger or sorrow to destroy us. The other option is to come together as a community and pursue something far greater than ourselves. That is the ideal that these men ultimately gave their lives defending.” 

The 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb has also become a fundraiser for the Jeff Welch Memorial Foundation, which supports Idaho families of EMS personnel who are severely injured or killed in the line of duty. Welch, a lifelong firefighter, passed away in 2019. Over the years, the event has raised thousands of dollars for the nonprofit. 

    Kevin Guditus with the Idaho Department of Lands participated in the 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb, carrying his chainsaw the entire time.
  

    First responders and community members bow their heads during a moment of silence before beginning the 111-flight 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb.