Canyon Lake Firefighters to Honor Fallen Comrades at 9/11 Annual Freedom Walk

Canyon Lake firefighters wearing full gear in sweltering heat will charge up and down Canyon Dam — twice — starting at 8 a.m. Friday, Sept. 11 to honor the 343 New York City firefighters who died in the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. Actual radio traffic from that day will play in the background to recreate conditions experienced by the doomed firefighters 25 years ago. The distance traveled during these two trips adds up to 1,368 feet, the height of the twin towers, said Charles Richard with the nonprofit Canyon Lake Professional Firefighters Association (CLPFA). The Annual Freedom Walk ceremony follows at 9 a.m. in Overlook Park and features the Comal County Sheriff's Office Color Guard, Boy Scouts and bagpiper Bill Jones. Afterward, the public is invited to walk with firefighters across the dam. Breakfasts and a fundraiser follow at 10 a.m at the Dam Red Barn, 16520 S. Access Rd. 'The point of that is to give the citizens an opportunity to meet and greet with the firefighters,' Richard said. 'We're going to be selling breakfast plates, we're going to be selling T-shirts. It's a fundraiser for us to make a little money for the nonprofit we started.' Dam Red Barn will provide complimentary parking for all events. Starting at 7:30 a.m., shuttle buses will ferry participants to and from Overlook Park. CLPFA represents firefighters with Canyon Lake Fire/EMS and funds scholarships for high school students interested in becoming firefighters and 'structure relief' for families who lose homes to fires. Please review our commenting rules before submitting a post.