Liverpool firefighters to climb tower 343 times in 9/11 tribute
Firefighters in Liverpool will climb St Johns Beacon 343 times on Saturday to honour firefighters killed in the September 11 attacks and raise money for charity.
Fire crews from across Merseyside are taking part in a fundraising challenge on Saturday to pay tribute to the 343 firefighters who died responding to the 11 September 2001 attacks in New York. Around 30 firefighters will climb Liverpool's St Johns Beacon tower a total of 343 times, with each ascent representing one of the fallen firefighters.
The 453ft (138m) landmark will be climbed by firefighters wearing full kit weighing up to 15kg, including breathing apparatus. The challenge starts at 09:00 on Saturday.
Thomas Molyneux of Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service, who organised the event, said the challenge was intended to ensure the courage and selflessness of the fallen firefighters are never forgotten, noting they made the ultimate sacrifice while trying to save others at the World Trade Center.
Station manager Phil Kelly, who is taking part, said it remains hard to imagine what emergency services faced that day, adding that firefighters responding to emergencies never expect that they might not return home.
Neil Ashcroft, centre director at St Johns Shopping Centre, described the scale of the challenge as reflecting the extraordinary bravery and sacrifice of those who died, calling it likely to be a deeply moving day.
Funds raised will be split between the UK Fire Fighters Charity and the US-based Terry Farrell Firefighters Fund. Nearly 3,000 people died in the 11 September 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and aboard United Flight 93, which crashed in Pennsylvania.
