NYC firefighters, supporters climb 93 floors for fundraiser
NEW YORK CITY (PIX11) – About 300 people climbed to the sky Sunday for the FDNY Foundation Climb to SUMMIT at One Vanderbilt.
They went up 93 floors – which is 1100 feet.
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The goal of this 2nd annual climb was to spotlight the importance of fitness for FDNY firefighters, EMTs and paramedics.
Timothy Clarke was the first FDNY firefighter to complete the course. He’s been a firefighter for nine years and has had to travel up 40 floors in his gear before.
“New York City is one of the most challenging environments in which you can be a firefighter. We have over 6000 skyscrapers in this city,” Clarke said. “So being a New York City firefighter means walking up stairs. It’s just a part of the job. So physical fitness is a part of that so I came out here and others did to embody that.”
The fundraising event was hosted by the FDNY Foundation and sponsored by SL Green Realty.
In total, around $180,000 were raised. The top teams also won stair climbers for their firehouses or EMT stations.
“A big focus on health and wellness and training and you know we live in a vertical city, it’s important for them to train to climb these buildings – and often they do with gear,” Jean O’Shea, executive director of FDNY Foundation said.
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