ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Orange County firefighters got together Saturday to remember the more than 343 firefighters who lost their lives in the 9/11 attacks.
In one of the exercises of the 343 Hero Challenge Fitness Competition in Winter Park, volunteers had to do step-ups for three minutes and 43 seconds while wearing a firefighter bunker coat and carrying a hose.
The exercise was designed to give participants an idea of what it was like for the firefighters who climbed the stairs in the twin towers.
“When those 343 firefighters rushed into that building and we watched that on TV, and we knew they were going in sacrificing their lives, that’s us. We do that every day,” said Battalion Chief of Safety and Wellness Rick Segrest. “Anyone could go into a perilous situation and not go home to our wives that we just kissed that morning. We realize all those guys did just that, that day.”
Participants did several other firefighting exercises and challenges.
The group raised more than $5,500 to benefit the Firefighter Cancer Support Network, which helps family members of firefighters who have been diagnosed with cancer.
WFTV
