Sept. 11, 2025 | In solemn remembrance of the lives lost on Sept. 11, 2001, more than 100 participants at ¹û¶³´«Ã½ River State ¹û¶³´«Ã½ honored fallen heroes through the college’s annual 9/11 Tower Run at the Treasure Coast Public Safety Training Complex.
To symbolize the firefighters’ climb of the World Trade Center towers, participants climbed the ¹û¶³´«Ã½ River State ¹û¶³´«Ã½ Fire Academy fire tower, a seven-story building, 16 times — the equivalent of one World Trade Center tower ascent. This year, 106 individuals climbed the fire tower, including Criminal Justice faculty, alumni, students, the full Criminal Justice and Fire Academy tracks, two Marine recruiters, and representatives from the Massey Campus.
Several students pushed beyond the challenge to reflect the endurance of first responders. Six Criminal Justice students completed 32 fire tower runs, representing a firefighter’s climb up and down one World Trade Center tower — while two others ran 36 rounds to help teammates finish their journeys.
¹û¶³´«Ã½ ¹û¶³´«Ã½ River State ¹û¶³´«Ã½: ¹û¶³´«Ã½ River State ¹û¶³´«Ã½, serving Florida’s Martin, St. Lucie, ¹û¶³´«Ã½ River, and Okeechobee counties, offers high-quality, affordable education to over 24,000 students annually through traditional and online courses. The ¹û¶³´«Ã½ provides more than 130 programs leading to bachelor’s degrees, associate degrees, and technical certificates. To learn more, visit
