Valpo High School Patriot Day Event 2024

Members of the Valparaiso Police Department, Valparaiso Fire Department, and Porter County Sheriff’s Department ran the Valparaiso High School Stadium stairs in honor of Patriot Day on September 11.  Their intent was to climb 110 flights of stairs, roughly equivalent to the number of stairs first responders would have climbed in the World Trade Center on 9/11/01.

Sergeant Ben McFalls, public information officer for Porter County Sheriff’s Department:

“It’s very important for us to remember and reflect on the sacrifices that were made on September 11, 2001. It’s also important for us to recognize how our nation came together on that day. We all continue to feel the repercussions of the tragedy 22 years later, especially the families who lost their loved ones. This is an excellent way for the first responders in our community to come out and pay tribute to those who gave their lives to save others.”

Tim Stites, Valparaiso Fire Department chief of community risk reduction, 

“In the photos and videos taken that day, you can see that all of the first responders are going up the stairs while everyone else is going down. Those first responders never made it back. We need to recognize and remember their sacrifice. Our first responders are doing this walk in their full gear today, so it’s not an easy feat. The pain and exertion they are experiencing today is their way of paying tribute to these heroes.”