Firefighters climb to raise funds for US victims

6:12pm Sunday 7th October 2001

WATFORD firefighters stepped into action this weekend in a sponsored ladder climb designed to raise funds in memory of the large number of firefighters killed in the US terrorist attack in September.

The fund-raising event, organised by Watford Sub Officer, Paul Blande, saw 40 firefighters from different watches perform a total of 2001 ladder climbs up a 13.5 metre rescue ladder positioned in The Harlequin shopping centre from 9.30am until 6pm on Saturday, October 6.

A former firefighter and the vice console for the US embassy, Mr Eric Fichtee opened the event and the first donation made to one of the collection buckets was that of a £20 note.

Sub Officer, Paul Blande said at the event: "So far the support we have received from the public has been absolutely brilliant. We have got ten people collecting money, but at this stage it is impossible to hazard a guess as to how much we will have raised by the end of the day.

"More than 300 firefighters were killed in the US disaster. The general comments we have received from our American counterparts, is that at the end of the day it is not the money or figure raised that really matters, it is the very fact that we are thinking of them during this time."