Fireman Bryn is set for 9/11 charity event

Group Manager Bryn Coleman, who is responsible for firefighting throughout Mansfield and Ashfield, will be heading out to the Big Apple later this month for the Tunnel to Towers Run - set to take place on 29th September.

The run takes place every year and commemorates an individual act of bravery carried out by one firefighter who was killed in the atrocity 12 years ago.

Stephen Siller was among 341 firefighter killed in New York on 11th September, 2011.

He had finished his shift and was heading home when the news came in. He returned to his Brooklyn station to find the rest of his squad had already headed to the scene of the attack.

As he reached the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel it was already closed to traffic, so Siller ran the length of the tunnel carrying 60lb of equipment in an attempt to be reunited with his colleagues.

Bryn, who is taking part in the run to raise funds for the Firefighters Charity, said he has been taking part in regular swimming sessions to get ready for the challenge.

He said: “There is a real sense of solidarity amongst firefighters because, aside from national boundaries, the job is pretty much the same anywhere in the world.

“We take the same risks - when there is a serious incident, we are always running in the opposite direction as everybody else. I’ve not set myself a target - I just want to raise as much as I can.

Bryn will be joined on the run by retired Nottinghamshire firefighter Rob Parr and former Nottinghamshire station manager Les Britzman, who now works for Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service.

The Firefighters Charity attempts to enhance the quality of life for serving and retired fire fighters, fire personnel and their families.

To sponsor Bryn, go to www.justgiving.com/user/45035503.

Pictured: Group Manager Bryn Coleman with Nottinghamshire Fire Service (left), with Rob Parr and Les Britzman.