New Philadelphia first responders honor 9-11 heroes through grueling exercises

NEW PHILADELPHIA  (WJER) (Sept. 11, 2023) – New Philadelphia’s police chief has answered the challenge for a new way to remember the heroes of September 11^th.

Tessa Pohovey says she and Sgt. Mitch Gobley took part in the Ohio Department of Public Safety’s inaugural 9-11 Climb this morning. Participants see how many times they can walk up 100 stairs and then do 20 burpees, 30 sit-ups, and 40 lunges or air squats in 41 minutes and 20 seconds. That time amount is in memory of the 412 first responders who made the ultimate sacrifice on this date 22 years ago.

“For as long as you can remember, it was ‘Never Forget,’ and that is something we want to keep going,” Pohovey said.

Pohovey says she and Gobley even took it upon themselves to wear weighted vests for the event.

“I really enjoy doing these kinds of things and challenging myself, especially to honor something as important and historical as this was,” she said.

They were able to complete nearly 10 rounds of the exercises in the allotted time.

“It was a challenge for sure, but we were happy to participate in it,” she said.

New Philadelphia Fire Lt. Scott Torchik then followed them by also doing the activity. Pohovey says the state was late in getting the notice out about the event, so she’s hoping to get more officers involved next year for September 11^th.

“That was a time when first responders really came together and that was the camaraderie I’d really like to see carry on as the years go by,” she said.

Pohovey says the Ohio Department of Public Safety invites everyone to participate in the challenge on their own and share photos of the experience on social media using the tag #ODPSclimb

Written by