It’s a tradition that started in 2003.

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 from Hutchison climbed 110 flights of stairs on Saturday at the Epic Center in Downtown Wichita, while two firefighters climbed the same number of stairs at the Skyline Collection building located in Kansas City on Sunday.

Each firefighter carried a name of a firefighter who died at the World Trade Center. 343 New York City firefighters, paramedics, and one New York patrolman who died that day along with 23 New York Police Department and 37 Port Authority police officers. 2,350 civilians were killed at the World Trade Center.

Hutchison firefighter Dunn, 2023

At the end of their climb the firefighters rang the bell and said the name they climbed for.

Albuquerque Fire Department Lieutenant Charles Cogburn who was stationed in Afghanistan during that time made the first climb in his full gear, including body armor and rifle.

The Wichita stair climb raised money for the FDNY Fire Family Transport Foundation, while the Kansas Climbed raised funds for the Surviving Spouse and Family Endowment Fund, which assists the families of first responders in the Kansas City area.