Idaho Falls F.D. Preparing To Commemorate 9/11

Idaho Falls firefighters were personally affected by the events of Sept. 11, 2001. On Sunday, they’ll show their solidarity with a special commemoration.

The department’s Pipes and Drums band will be on-hand to play during the ceremony. It starts at 7 p.m. on Sunday.

Dan Muhlstein plays the bagpipes in the band. He says it takes a lot of patience and practice to learn the bagpipes. He’s been putting in about an hour a day.

“There’s a lot of time and effort that goes into it,” said Muhlstein.

Despite the extra effort, Muhlstein says it is an honor to be involved in the ceremony.

“It’s the whole fire service,” said Muhlstein. “It’s all tradition for the fallen brothers, you know? Being a part of that is a great honor for me.”

The Eastern Idaho Fraternal Order Of Leatherheads society will sponsor a 3 p.m. commemorative run at Freeman Park on Sunday. The run will be 343 miles long: one mile for every firefighter lost on Sept. 11, 2001.

The run will work like a relay. One runner will run a few laps with a card imprinted with the name of a fallen firefighter.

“You get a T-shirt, there’s a meal served,” said fire chief Dean Ellis. “Then, hopefully they get a big turn out so that you only have to run 2 or 3 miles each, instead of a whole bunch.”

To sign up for the race, visit the Eastern Idaho F.O.O.L.S. Web site at www.easternidahofools.com.

You can also register on Sunday before the race begins.