LOCAL emergency responders honoured America’s 9/11 heroes with a stair climb tribute in Wellington Sports Centre to mark last week’s anniversary of the tragedy.

Six local emergency service personnel came together to complete a memorial stair climb in honour of the men and women who lost their lives while responding to the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in 2001.

They climbed 2,226 stairs, the number which were believed to have been in the two towers of New York’s World Trade Centre.

The team undertook the challenge in full kit in the sports centre gym, supported by the staff and management, in particular general manager Gary Beasley.

Challenge organiser Lee Palfrey, a paramedic from Taunton, said: “I was keen to do something meaningful to honour the firefighters, police officers, and paramedics who gave their lives that day.

“It is a powerful reminder that the work we do can carry great risk, and these brave individuals paid the ultimate price while doing their job.

“Climbing the equivalent number of stairs, in full uniform, was our way of paying tribute to their courage and sacrifice.”

The team included South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWAST) paramedics Lee Palfrey, Simon White, and Roza Lipka, SWAST paramedic and Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue (DSFR) retained firefighter Anton Smith, SWAST ambulance dispatcher and DSFR firefighter Saul Hawkins, and DSFR firefighter Jamie Filler.

Looking ahead, the group hopes to grow the challenge next year, on the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, to raise further awareness and funds in honour of those who have lost their lives while responding to emergencies here in the UK.

The Twin Towers and the Pentagon, which was also attacked on the same day, saw a total of 441 first responders killed, including 343 firefighters and eight paramedics.