Nicollet fire fighters remember 9/11 with Stair Challenge

Lake Crystal, Minn. (KEYC) - In just two days the nation will be remembering the tragic events that took place 23 years ago. 9/11 was a day that shook the world but local citizens are going above and beyond to remember those whose lives were lost.

A total of five firefighters, including three with the Nicollet department, will take on the “9/11 Stair Challenge” to raise money for the National Fallen Firefighter Foundation. They will climb 110 flights of stairs at POET Bioprocessing in Lake Crystal on Wednesday.

And they’ll do it in full firefighter gear.

It’s to honor and remember the bravery & selfless sacrifice that these heroes gave while protecting their neighbors.

“We walk in the shadows of the giants that came before us. These heroes weren’t prepared, they weren’t ready for it, they -in a situation where everybody else was running away, they ran towards it,” Pete Finken said.

Firefighter and National Guard Veteran Pete Finken will take on his second year of the stair challenge.

He was inspired after seeing a similar event the National Fallen Firefighter Foundation put on at Lambeau Field and went on to tell the fire department he would take on the challenge, closer to home.

Although Finken was just 5-years-old when 9/11 occurred, it was an event that stuck with him over the years.

“If I can draw a little awareness and a little bit of remembrance to the sacrifices they made and maybe raise a little money on the way to support some of those families, it was the least I could do,” Finken said.

He was the first to climb 110 flights at POET on the anniversary last year but is happy to be joined by fellow firefighters to bring more awareness to the families of the tragic event.

Finken said it took him roughly four hours to complete last year. The climb begins Wednesday morning in support of over 300 firefighters who lost their lives fighting to save others after two planes struck the World Trade Centers.

“It’s something that kind of lives in the back of my head, um, all the time,” Finken said.

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