BATON ROUGE - Dressed in full gear, local firefighters ran the stairs of Death Valley in 90-degree heat to honor the fallen heroes of September 11, 2001.

Eighteen years ago, nearly 3,000 lives were lost on the fateful day that changed America. 343 of those people were firefighters.

Wednesday, nearly a dozen firefighters in Baton Rouge paid their respects by running the steps in Tiger Stadium to remember them and pay their respects.

"It's a history, a remembrance to make sure it's never forgotten," BRFD Fire Chief Ed Smith said. "It is our commitment and promise to our fallen brothers that we will never forget."