By NEAL WAGNER / City Editor

For Alabaster Fire Chief Jim Golden and five of his firefighters, climbing a total of 110 flights of stairs on Sept. 11 was one of their greatest honors.

“It was very gratifying, and we were very happy to do it,” Golden said. “It helps to keep the spirit of those guys who made the ultimate sacrifice alive.”

On the 12^th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Golden joined fellow Alabaster firefighters Chad Trautwein, Zach Cruce, Chase Smith, Calem Hicks and Nathan Smitherman in the second annual 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb in Montgomery.

During the event, firefighters from across the state gathered in the state capital to climb the 22-story RSA Tower five times. When all was said and done, the local firefighters had climbed the equivalent of the height of the World Trade Center towers in New York.

“It was more of an endurance thing. We didn’t run the whole time,” Golden said. “This was the first time we’ve participated in this, and it was truly an honor.”