Firefighters to climb city tower in 9/11 tribute

Fire crews from across Merseyside will pay tribute to the 343 firefighters who died in the 9/11 attacks in a fundraising event later.

Teams of firefighters will climb St Johns Beacon in Liverpool 343 times to raise money for firefighter charities in the UK and US.

Each ascent of the Liverpool landmark will represent one of the firefighters who lost their life while responding to the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York on 11 September 2001.

Thomas Molyneux, of Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service, who organised the challenge, said it was a way to "ensure their courage and selflessness are never forgotten".

"The 343 firefighters who lost their lives on 9/11 made the ultimate sacrifice while trying to save others," he said.

"Each climb of St Johns Beacon will represent one of those fallen firefighters and ensure their courage and selflessness are never forgotten.

"Completing 343 ascents in one day will be a demanding challenge, particularly while wearing full firefighting kit and breathing apparatus, but that difficulty is part of the tribute.

"We hope the people of Liverpool will come along, show their support and help us raise as much as possible for two charities that do incredibly important work for firefighters and their families."

The challenge will begin at 09:00 on Saturday and firefighters will be wearing full kit which weighs up to 15kg (approximately 33lbs).

Thirty firefighters are expected to take part, including station manager Phil Kelly, who said it was still "hard to imagine" what emergency services faced during the 9/11 attacks.

"When we respond to emergencies we never think that we are not going to return home," he said.

Neil Ashcroft, Centre Director at St Johns Shopping Centre, said the scale of the challenge "reflects the extraordinary bravery and sacrifice of the 343 firefighters who lost their lives on 9/11" and said it would be "a deeply moving day".

Money raised through the challenge will be divided between UK Fire Fighters Charity and the Terry Farrell Firefighters Fund in the US.

Just under 3,000 people died in the attacks on the towers and the Pentagon in Washing, and on Flight United 93, which crashed in Pennsylvania when passengers overpowered the hijackers.

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