Each September, thousands of people in more than 40 cities climb 110 stories, the height of the World Trade Center towers, to honor the 343 FDNY firefighters killed on 9/11.
The tribute began with an Albuquerque fire lieutenant deployed in Afghanistan, who climbed a two-story building 55 times, alone and in body armor, in honor of the fallen.
In 2005, five Colorado firefighters climbed 110 flights of a Denver high-rise
in full gear. Each year, more joined them, and the event spread.
In 2010, organizers of three climbs (the original Denver event, a public climb at
Colorado’s Red Rocks, and a new one in Nashville) partnered with the National
Fallen Firefighters Foundation to create a template any community could follow.
Nashville’s climb that September became the first under the NFFF banner. Proceeds support NFFF programs for the families of fallen firefighters and the FDNY Counseling Service Unit.
This year marked Globe’s fourth annual climb; last year’s event was canceled because of flooding. Firefighters from Globe Fire and Superstition Fire and Medical completed the route in full gear, a 1.4-mile loop on the Stairizona Trail with 244 stairs. Following the tradition of the event, a bell was rung in recognition of the 78th floor mark, the highest point firefighters are known to have reached,
The climb isn’t a race. As the Denver climb’s mission statement puts it, “We climb to ensure that the fallen firefighters of September 11 are never forgotten.”
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