On September 11, 2001, 343 New York City firefighters were killed in the attacks on the World Trade Center. In order to remember these men, numerous cities around the country will be holding memorial stair climbs in which fellow firefighters come together to climb 110 flights of stairs in honor of their fallen brothers. As an attempt to simulate the climb to the top of the World Trade Center, many of the firefighters will don full firefighting gear and self contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), similar to what these 343 men did the morning of 9/11/2001. Each climb is limited to 343 participants, with each participant wearing a badge and biography of one of the men killed at ground zero that they will be climbing in honor of during the climb.
On September 11, 2011, two Versailles firefighters, Brian Pearson and Scott Garrison, will be traveling to Pittsburgh, PA to participate in one of these memorial stair climbs. Although the physical requirements of the climb are demanding, the idea of raising funds for the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) is a motivator for Brian and Scott. Both men have been training daily since early June in an attempt to meet their goal of completing all 110 flights of stairs in full gear and SCBA (approximately an extra 50 lbs).
The fee to participate in the climb benefits the NFFF, which supports the families of firefighters killed in the line of duty. In the past three years, 295 firefighters have been killed in the line of duty in the United States. Services provided by NFFF include grief counseling, life counseling, scholarships, and financial assistance in rebuilding their lives after the loss of a loved one. For more details on the NFFF and the benefits provided, please visit www.firehero.org.
Brian and Scott are asking for donations from the community that they will deliver to the NFFF on the morning of the stair climb. If you would like to donate to this worthwhile cause, please make your check payable to “National Fallen Firefighters Foundation” and mail the check to 28 E. Ward St., Versailles, OH 45380, by September 7, 2011. The NFFF is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization and all contributions are tax deductible. If you have any questions regarding the memorial stair climb or fund-raising efforts, feel free to contact Brian at 423-4164, or Scott at 371-1249.
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