Bodmin and Perranporth firefighters take on 110 floors in Atlanta

Somewhere around the halfway mark today, three Cornwall firefighters will each be climbing for someone else entirely. A name and a photograph, pinned to their kit. A stranger who went up a stairwell twenty-five years ago and never came back down.

Three firefighters, one stairwell, 2,000 steps

Today, three firefighters from Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service are taking on the Terry Farrell Patriot Day Memorial Stair Climb at Truist Park in Atlanta, Georgia. The challenge was shared by Bodmin Community Fire Station and Perranporth Community Fire Station, alongside two other Cornwall stations, ahead of the climb.

The task is 110 floors, more than 2,000 steps, climbed entirely in full firefighting kit. Each participant wears the name and photograph of one of the 343 FDNY firefighters who died at the World Trade Center on 11 September 2001, carrying it for every step of the ascent.

📷Credit: Bodmin Community Fire Station

A 25-year tradition, and its biggest year yet

The Truist Park climb has a 25-year history, bringing firefighters together every September to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice. This year’s event falls on the 25th anniversary of 9/11, and the three Cornwall firefighters are among several hundred UK and Ireland firefighters travelling from 48 fire and rescue services to take part.

📷Credit: Bodmin Community Fire Station

Why the Cornwall stations are behind them

Back home, the fire service has rallied around the three, with the Bodmin and Perranporth stations posting their send-off together. The climbers are part of a wider UK and Ireland team of more than 200 firefighters making the trip to Atlanta between 3 and 6 September, fundraising as they go.

Donations made through the team’s JustGiving page are split between three charities: the Terry Farrell Firefighters Fund, which supports firefighters and families in the United States, the Fire Fighters Charity, which helps UK firefighters and their loved ones recover and rebuild, and the Blue Light Card Foundation, which supports the wellbeing of the wider emergency services community.

A piece of steel recovered from the World Trade Center will be on display at Truist Park as the climbers make their way up, floor by floor, name by name.

📷Credit: Bodmin Community Fire Station