On Saturday morning, Templeton Fire and Emergency Services, local agencies, and members of the public all participated in a 9/11 Remembrance Stairclimb.
The stairclimb took place at the Templeton High School Stadium starting at 8:30 a.m. Participants climbed 110 floors, or 2,598 steps.
Fire officials said the climb pays tribute to those who made the ultimate sacrifice, including FDNY, NYPD, NY Port Authority, and all the innocent lives lost on that fateful day 20 years ago.
Participants included Templeton Fire, CAL FIRE from surrounding communities, individuals from San Jose Fire, Los Angeles City Fire, National Guard Camp Roberts, and community members.
“I just came out here to help and motivate the firefighters and help people not forget the events of 9/11,” said Templeton middle school student Amelie Suobanen.
In addition to the crews in Templeton, cadets from Allan Hancock College's Fire Academy in Lompoc also honored the first responders and victims of the 9/11 attacks with a special ceremony stairclimb.
At 8:46 a.m. on Saturday, the cadets climbed the Public Safety Training Complex's multi-story training tower in full firefighting gear 16 times, then performed a bell-ringing ceremony at the top of the tower in honor of the 343 FDNY firefighters who lost their lives during the attack.
