Dixon firefighter, four friends finish 9/11 memorial stair climb to honor ‘everyday heroes’

DIXON – When Bryan Monk asked his friends to join him in a 9/11 memorial stair climb, he did not expect one of them to show up in firefighting gear.

But that is exactly what happened Wednesday.

Monk and four of his friends, including fully geared-up Dixon firefighter Sean Wagner, walked up and down 2,200 steps at Castle Rock State Park in Oregon to honor the New York firefighters who died in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. Those steps are meant to replicate the 110-story climb inside the World Trade Center.

“I like the guys who are everyday heroes,” Monk said. “We had a potential school shooting here, and officer Mark Dallas stepped up and did an amazing thing. Those are the kinds of things that are inspiring to me.”

Monk is a civil engineer who regularly visits Castle Rock for quick workouts.

“I knew how many stairs there were and did the math on how many laps it would take,” Monk said. “It wound up being 16 full laps to get to the 2,200 steps.”

When Monk and his friends Josh Butterfield, Scott Hoyle and Steve Trader arrived at the park just before sunrise, they were surprised to find Wagner already suiting up in his firefighting gear.

“I’m watching Sean go up and down those stairs, trudging with 40 pounds of gear on and thinking, ‘Oh, my God, how are you doing that?’” Monk said. “Watching it raised goosebumps on my arms and sent chills down my spine.”

Wagner has been with the Dixon Fire Department for the past 17 years. He said he draws inspiration from the courage of the New York firefighters who gave their lives while trying to rescue others during the attacks.

“I listened to radio traffic from these NYFD firefighters while they were still in the building and how they never gave up,” Wagner said. “I listened to one the other day, it was a fire captain, and he was told to exit the building, and he denied the orders. He could have taken his crew and maybe made it down the stairs, but he was dedicated to the job. The little work I did today doesn’t compare to what they did.”

Monk also used the challenge to raise awareness and support for the Dixon Firefighters Charitable Association by pledging money for every step he took. The charitable association supports several local organizations and programs focused on Dixon’s youths and elderly residents.

Some of those programs include:

• Sponsorships to youth sports
• The Muscular Dystrophy Association’s annual Fill the Boot Drive
• A donation for Dixon High School’s baseball scoreboard
• Building the Dixon Junior Tackle storage building
• Homeless shelter programming
• A smoke detector drive
• Sponsorship to Burn Camp
• The smoke detector battery exchange
• Smoke detectors for the elderly
• The Stop, Drop and Reel fishing tournament for children
• The Toys for Tots breakfast fundraiser

“I’m super proud of my friends for joining me and doing this challenge,” Monk said. “It’s definitely not easy, but I hope we inspired some people to donate and be those everyday heroes.”

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Cheryl Sohn of Dixon uses a stair-climbing machine Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, at the Dixon YMCA. The Y put forth a challenge to patrons to use the machine to climb 110 flights, the same at the World Trade Center, in recognition of 9/11. (Alex T. Paschal)