Firefighters serving Hesperia will strap on full turnout gear this Friday and climb 110 flights of stairs at a local gym, retracing the same number of floors the World Trade Center towers once stood, in honor of the 343 FDNY firefighters killed responding to the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. The 9/11 Remembrance Stair Climb Challenge runs from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. at Crunch Fitness, 16968 Main St. in Hesperia, with Hesperia Crunch staff and gym members encouraged to participate.
According to VVNG, participating firefighters are expected to complete the climb in full gear, while Hesperia Crunch Fitness staff and gym members are encouraged to participate in scaling the equivalent of 110 flights.
The climb is being organized nationwide by Fitness Ventures, the company behind the Hesperia gym, which operated 47 Crunch Fitness locations across 25 states at the time of a 2024 company announcement, per the same VVNG report. More than 100 fire departments and an estimated 5,000 to 8,000 people are expected to take part across the country this year, a jump from the 71 Crunch locations that participated last year to 106 expected to join in 2026 — an increase of about 49 percent from the previous year.
Why 110 Flights, and Why Now
The tradition of climbing 110 flights to honor fallen firefighters traces back to Sept. 11, 2005, when five Denver-area firefighters climbed 110 flights of stairs in a downtown high-rise to honor their fallen FDNY colleagues, according to the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. That informal climb later grew into a national program supported by the foundation, and this year marks the 25th anniversary of the 2001 attacks that claimed 343 FDNY firefighters' lives.
Firefighters who take on the climb in full turnout gear face the physical toll behind the tribute. The foundation's #ForThe343 campaign places Hesperia's gym-level effort inside a much larger national movement.
Fitness Ventures' Growing Franchise Footprint
Fitness Ventures LLC was founded in 2016 by CEO Brian Hibbard and was acquired in August 2024 by private equity firm Meaningful Partners to fuel expansion as one of the largest franchisees in the Crunch Fitness network, according to a PR Newswire release. Systemwide, Crunch Fitness serves more than 2.5 million members across over 460 gyms worldwide, including locations in 41 states and multiple countries, with value-tier memberships starting at $9.99 a month, per the same release.
Hibbard said the 25th anniversary is a moment to remember what happened and who answered the call, according to VVNG's report. The event also includes participants nationwide.
Local Firefighters and Regional Training Standards
Local firefighters are expected to join the Hesperia climb.
The annual stair-climb tribute presents a physical challenge for the firefighters who take part.
Part of a Larger National Tradition
Beyond gyms like Crunch Fitness, 9/11 memorial stair climbs also take place nationwide. Proceeds raised through official 9/11 Memorial Stair Climbs support programs for surviving families and coworkers, the foundation notes.
The Sept. 11 event is scheduled at the Main Street location, where Hesperia Crunch staff and gym members are encouraged to participate in tribute to those lost 25 years ago.
