Americans are invited to honor fallen firefighters by climbing, sharing a tribute and challenging others

EMMITSBURG, Md. — The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation has launched #ForThe343, a nationwide campaign marking the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks by inviting Americans to honor the 343 FDNY firefighters who died that day and firefighters who have died since.

For more than two decades, NFFF 9/11 Memorial Stair Climbs have brought firefighters and community members together to climb 110 stories, representing the height of the World Trade Center towers. This year, more than 40 traditional stair climbs are scheduled across the country, primarily during the weekend of Sept. 11-13. Retro Fitness will also host climbs at 75 locations nationwide in a single day.

For the first time, the NFFF is also inviting people to participate remotely through ForThe343.org. Participants can climb the equivalent of one flight of stairs, post a photo or video on social media and challenge three others to participate. People who do not climb can instead walk, run, bike or share another tribute.

“I was one of the members of the NFFF team that responded to New York immediately following 9/11 and witnessed the nation come together to support the fire service,” NFFF CEO Victor Stagnaro said. “Now we are asking the nation to stand with New York again and symbolically complete the climb these 343 heroes could not finish.”

Following the Sept. 11 attacks, the NFFF established a field office in New York at the request of FEMA. Over the next two months, the foundation coordinated more than 400 peer-support specialists, chaplains and mental health professionals who reached all 211 FDNY firehouses and thousands of Ground Zero workers.

The NFFF now recognizes more than 300 firefighters who died from post-9/11-related illnesses on the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial in Emmitsburg.

More than 115 official 9/11 Memorial Stair Climbs, including Retro Fitness events, are listed through the campaign. Participants can also donate to the NFFF, including through a suggested monthly contribution of $9.11.

In-person climbs are planned in cities including Denver, Charlotte, Nashville and Long Beach, Calif., as well as at Lambeau Field, M&T Bank Stadium and MetLife Stadium.

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