El Paso County will mark 25 years since the September 11, 2001 attacks with a sunrise ceremony and a 2,200-step stair climb at UTEP’s Sun Bowl on Friday, September 11. Doors open at 6 a.m., the ceremony begins at 7 a.m., and the stair climb follows immediately afterward, according to an event flyer shared by the fire department hosting the observance.
The Horizon Fire Department announced the ceremony and climb on Facebook, describing it as a way to honor those who died in the 2001 attacks and to recognize the first responders and everyday heroes who ran toward danger that day. In a post titled 25 Years Later, We Remember Together, the department said the event also recognizes families whose lives were changed by the attacks, according to the Horizon Fire Department. The department framed September 11, 2001 as a national tragedy that forever changed the United States, one that nonetheless brought communities across the country together.
The event is open to El Paso County and surrounding communities, and organizers say participation is not limited to professionals. First responders, military members, veterans, community organizations, families and neighbors are all welcome to take part in the ceremony and stair climb, and people do not need to be first responders — or even climb at all — to attend. Those planning to participate can register through a QR code included on the event flyer. The Sun Bowl is located at 2701 Sun Bowl Dr. in El Paso.
Why 2,200 Steps
The 2,200-step distance is not arbitrary. It comes from the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation’s official protocol for 9/11 Memorial Stair Climbs nationwide, which sets that step count as the physical equivalent of the 110 stories that made up each World Trade Center tower — symbolically retracing the ascent FDNY firefighters made on the day of the attacks, according to the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. Climbs organized under that program serve as a major fundraising vehicle for the foundation, supporting the FDNY Counseling Service Unit and providing financial assistance to the surviving families of fallen firefighters…