STEPPING UP

STEPPING UP — Firefighter First Class Matt Hoffman of the Union City Fire Department climbed the staircase at Discovery Park of America early Saturday as he participated in the seventh annual 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb, which raised funds for the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. The climb pays tribute to those who lost their lives in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, among them 343 New York City firefighters. Each participant in the local event, most while wearing their full gear, set out to climb the concrete stairway of DPA’s Cooper Tower 10 times, the equivalent of the 110 stories of the World Trade Center. Hoffman, also a volunteer with the rank of captain for Rives Volunteer Fire Department, was first to finish this year.