11 September 2023
HUTCHINSON, Kan. (KSNW) — Firefighters with the Hutchinson Fire Department participated in two 9/11 stair climbs over the weekend.
Eleven firefighters participated in events in Wichita and Kansas City. Nine firefighters from Hutchinson climbed 110 flights of stairs at the Epic Center in Downtown Wichita on Saturday, while two firefighters climbed the same number of stairs at the Skyline Collection building located in Downtown Kansas City on Sunday.
Each firefighter carried with them the name of a firefighter who died at the World Trade Center during the 9/11 terrorist attacks. There were 343 New York City Fire Department (FDNY) firefighters, paramedics, and one New York Fire patrolman who died that day, along with 23 New York Police Department and 37 Port Authority police officers. At least 2,350 civilians were killed at the World Trade Center.
At the end of their climb, the firefighters rang a bell and said the name of the firefighter they climbed for. It’s a tradition that started back in 2003.
Albuquerque Fire Department Lieutenant Charles Cogburn, who was stationed in Afghanistan at the time, made the first climb in his full military gear, including body armor and rifle, according to the Association of Memorial Stair Climbs. He brought the tradition home to his own department, and the tradition spread from there.
The Wichita stair climb raised money for the FDNY Fire Family Transport Foundation, while the Kansas Climb raised funds for the Surviving Spouse and Family Endowment Fund, which assists the families of first responders in the Kansas City area.