CARLYLE — Wayne Zandee, a firefighter from Carlyle, was one of many people who were shocked by the news of the terrorist attack on the Twin Towers in New York. He recalls the moment well.
“I was on my way to work when a co-worker called and told me what happened,” said Zandee.
At first, he was unsure of what the co-worker was talking about, and then it was all over the news. Like so many people, he was stuck to the TV and the news to learn more about what had happened.
Today, 24 years later, it is still fresh in the minds of people. At the time, no one was sure whether Canada would be next in line. For the people of the United States, it was a horrific act that killed many innocent people.
Zandee became a firefighter for the Carlyle Fire Department three years ago, and he is well aware of the dangers involved in fighting fires. He cannot imagine what it would have been like to be one of the firefighters who had to go into the Twin Towers.
Zandee is one of the firefighters who went up north to Beauval to help with the raging fires.
“I would be lying if I said I was not scared,” said Zandee. “The magnitude of the fires, and how big and massive they are, is unbelievable.”
He was in Beauval for nine days. Zandee, along with other firefighters from Carlyle and area, were the last line of defence. It was their job to put out hot spots. At one point, the fire came remarkably close to the edge of the town, but no homes were lost during this time.
At the time Zandee was there, they had two large water boomers, six helicopters and 150 firefighters. They all worked together as a team to help save the homes of strangers. Zandee said it was a lot of hard work and long days.
After returning home from the north, and with the anniversary of 9/11 approaching, Zandee wanted to do something in honour of all the firefighters who fought to save lives during the 9/11 terrorist attack.
Zandee was already in shape. He was one of the men selected last year to be on the firefighters’ calendar. He continued to keep in shape and now worked even harder to gain strength for the challenge he was going to face.
Jenna Jensen from Built 4 Life offered her StairMaster for Zandee to train on, but Zandee also trained at the Carlyle Fire Department. It was his goal to climb 110 stairs, the same number of floors that brought a person to the top of the Twin Towers.
On Sept. 9, 2025, Zandee put on all his fire equipment. This equipment weighs 35 pounds. He climbed onto the StairMaster, which simulated going up a flight of stairs, and began his tribute to the fallen firefighters.
After a short time on the StairMaster, Zandee almost quit. He said it was so hot with all the equipment on, but he thought of the men and women who gave their lives, and that kept him going. It took Zandee 35 minutes to go up the 110 flights of stairs.
Zandee said there were firefighters, police, EMS, locals and tracking dogs who rushed in to help people.
“I am sure they knew the chances they were taking,” said Zandee. “They are all heroes.”
He had hoped to go to New York with his daughter Madison, but due to work commitments, Madison could not get the time off work. It is their hope to be part of the 25th anniversary next year, so they can honour all those who lost their lives in this horrible attack.
