Federal Fire Fighters of Hawaii Local F-263 and Hawaiian Islands Local 1463 members have a special way of remembering the ultimate sacrifice made by the 343 members of the Uniformed Firefighters Association (UFA) Local 94 and the Unformed Fire Officers Association (UFOA) on 9/11. The Hawaii members climb the stairs to the top of the Koko Head Crater, some 1,048 steps, in full turnout gear.
“Because every firefighter is like family to us, we take our pledge to never forget to heart,” says Local F-263 President Kaanapu Jacobsen. “This event is one way we honor that promise to remember our fallen brothers. Their names will never be forgotten.”
Honoring the memory of firefighters
“We are proud of our Hawaii members who participated in this years’ event,” says Local 1463 President Bobby Lee. “September 11 marks the tragic day we lost the most firefighters in a single event. We must always remember what they did, the sacrifice they made, and honor their memory forever. We will never forget.”
A group of Hawaii members makes this climb every September 11. They chose the Koko Head Crater stairs to simulate the stairs of the World Trade Center Towers climbed by the fallen New York firefighters. This year, 50 members participated.
