In honor of the public safety personnel who lost their lives while responding to the terrorist attacks on September 11, Wayne Community College’s Paramedic class and Basic Law Enforcement Academy will climb 78 floors the morning of Sept. 9.
The climb, which has become an annual event at the college, pays tribute to the professionalism and bravery of the first responders. It is particularly poignant this year, the 15th anniversary of the attacks.
It will begin with a short introduction at 9 a.m. on Sept. 9 in Moffatt Auditorium in the Wayne Learning Center (main building) on the college’s main campus in Goldsboro. WCC paramedic instructor Dave Cuddeback will talk about the events of 9-11 and the meaning of the run.
Following Cuddeback’s talk, the paramedic students, law enforcement cadets, and their instructors, as well as any emergency medical, fire, and law enforcement professionals who wish to join the climb, will go to the Pine Building to suit up and gather for a moment of reflection.
They will then move to the Magnolia Building where they will run up one exterior stairwell, across the breezeway, and down the other exterior stairwell in a continuous loop until they have completed 78 ascents. The 78 floors mark the highest level first responders were able to reach in the World Trade Center’s South Tower before it collapsed.
The paramedic students will wear turnout gear and carry equipment such as tanks and hoses that add 50 to 75 pounds to their bodies.
As the event progresses, law enforcement cadets usually take some of the clothing and equipment from their first responder brethren and wear and carry it. They have also been known to continue the circuit beyond the target number of laps so that everyone finishes together.
Before they begin their run, the students will review the names of the 403 public safety personnel who died in the line of duty that day, and each will choose an individual to whom they will dedicate their efforts.
Cuddeback initiated the run and leads the students in the memorial exercise every year. Remembering and honoring those who sacrificed their lives is important, he said. Having his students thinking about specific individuals while experiencing some of what they did, drives home the concept of selflessness.
“In the 21st century, we’ve lost the concept of heroes,” he said. “We have ingrained in these guys, ‘If not me, then who?’”
The public is welcome to attend the events and support the students.
Wayne Community College is a public, learning-centered institution with an open-door admission policy located in Goldsboro, N.C. As it works to develop a highly skilled and competitive workforce, the college serves 14,000 individuals annually as well as businesses, industry, and community organizations with high quality, affordable, accessible learning opportunities, including more than 70 college credit programs. WCC’s mission is to meet the educational, training, and cultural needs of the communities it serves.