The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) has joined forces with the Pittsburgh Pirates to host a Fallen Firefighter Memorial Stair Climb at PNC Park on Saturday, November 9th. Firefighters, First Responders and the public will be invited to climb 2,200 steps to simulate the 110 stories of the World Trade Center in New York City where 343 brave FDNY Firefighters died while trying to rescue the building occupants on 9/11. The climb is a reenactment of the situation they faced that day and a tribute/remembrance for all firefighters who have died in the line of duty in service to their communities across this great country of ours. The event will be a joint fundraiser for the NFFF’s First Responder Center of Excellence (FRCE) and the Pirate’s Community Charity.
Check-in begins at 8:00 am at PNC Park, 115 Federal Street, Pittsburgh, PA. Opening Ceremonies will take place at 8:30 am and the climb will start at 9:00 am and end at 11:30 am. Your $30 registration fee includes a commemorative firefighter badge, t-shirt, and an exclusive PNC Park Memorial Stair Climb challenge coin. At the conclusion of the climb, each participant will have the opportunity to ring a ceremonial bell and read aloud the name of the firefighter in whose memory he or she climbed for. Refreshments will be available after the climb at a post-climb ballpark luncheon in PNC Park’s Skull Bar.
“The Memorial Stair Climb is an opportunity for anyone in the community to demonstrate respect and admiration for these courageous men and women who gave their lives trying to save others. It’s also a way to show their loved ones that we will never forget them,” said Chief Ronald J. Siarnicki, Executive Director of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation.
The proceeds will support the First Responder Center for Excellence, committed to promoting quality educational awareness and research to reduce physical, emotional, and psychological health and wellness issues for first responders. For more information about Memorial Stair Climbs and the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, go to weekend.firehero.org. For additional information about the First Responder Center for Excellence, go to www.firstrespondercenter.org.
