BCFD, AFR to honor memory of first responders lost on 9/11

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Saturday marks 20 years since 9/11 and many memorials will take place across the country to commemorate the date, including in Bernalillo County.

First responders will spend the day honoring the men and women who sacrificed everything on 9/11.

The Bernalillo County Fire Department will host their second annual Fallen Heroes Memorial, starting at 6:46 a.m. at Alvarado Square. 6:46 a.m. was the time in New Mexico when the first tower was hit on 9/11.

BCFD will be joining firefighters with Albuquerque Fire Rescue for a stair climb at 8:46 a.m. Saturday morning. The firefighters will go up and down 22 flights of stairs five times – totaling to be the 110 stories of the World Trade Center.

"It allows us to pay our respects to those firefighters that were climbing those World Trade Center Towers and never were able to complete that climb to save strangers, right?" AFR spokesman Tom Ruiz said. "That’s the very essence of what we do as firefighters and as public safety and as first responders – it is our job to help those in need."

After the stair climb, there will be a memorial ceremony to honor the nearly 3,000 lives lost.