Some Citrus County Firefighters are readying themselves to climb the equivalent of 110 flights of stairs on Saturday, Sept. 11, in honor of the 343 firefighters lost in the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center.

The climb will be in a stairwell at Citrus Memorial Hospital the morning of the 11th, and it will raise money for the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation.

It is being sponsored by Local 4562 Professional Firefighters of Citrus County and Citrus County Fire Rescue. It’s part of a national event firefighters are putting on across the country as a memorial.

Residents, groups and businesses can sponsor firefighters for the number of floors they are able to complete up to the goal of the equivalent of 110 flights: Pledges can be 25 cents a floor, 50 cents a floor, 75 cents a floor - or $1 a floor.

So far, the following firefighters have signed up for the climb: Craig Stevens, Keith Long, Jake Anderson, Anthony Seguin, Scot Prater, Greg Ellis, Chad Coleman, Craig Zacke, Brandon Gelinas, L.J. White, Kevin Pappadouplos, Chase Hurst, Gary Bonick, Mike Arcuri, Brian Claypool, Wayne Mcclendon, Ryan Maloney, Mike Moore, Lucas Williams, Tim Kenney, Mike Robinson, Lane Kersey, Ryan Blevins, Sterling Harris, and Nick Faso.

The firefighters are inviting the public to come out to encourage the climbers and to support the memory of those lost in the 9/11 attacks. There will be a number of displays for the public.

The event will begin with a moment of silence at 9:06 a.m., the time of the second attack. The climb begins directly after. Each firefighter can wear and carry any amount of equipment or gear, such as bunker gear and SCBA air packs. Each will be asked to wear a partial list of the names of those who died.

Citrus County Fire Rescue will have fire engines, including the new tower truck, on display at the site. There will also be displays by the Special Technical Rescue unit and the Hazmat Unit and an interactive display of firefighter gear and techniques under a tented area.

There will be forms at the event to sign up to sponsor a firefighter in the climb, or call Fire Rescue at 527-5406 during office hours.