08-19-25 - Riley Murph - Fallen Firefighters 9/11 Stair Climb At Salt River Fields

Summary

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Holmberg's Morning Sickness - Arizona

Episode: Riley Murph – Fallen Firefighters 9/11 Stair Climb At Salt River Fields

Date: August 19, 2025

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Episode Overview

This episode of Holmberg’s Morning Sickness brings Salt River Fire Department’s Riley Murph into the studio to promote the upcoming 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb at Salt River Fields. The discussion dives deep into the meaning behind the event, how the firefighter community is impacted by the legacy of 9/11, and how everyday people can show support—while dispelling the myth that you must be in peak physical condition to participate. The hosts and Riley blend humor, heartfelt stories, and practical event info, encouraging listeners to get involved, honor fallen firefighters, and support those dealing with illness and job-related tragedies.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Mission and Impact of the 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb

• Honoring Fallen Firefighters: The event is organized to honor those firefighters who lost their lives on 9/11 and those who have died or suffered from job-related illnesses since.
  • “There's always a gap that needs to be filled and this is a way that we can help give back and fill that gap.” – Riley Murph (01:58)
• Funds Raised: Proceeds benefit the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation and the East Valley Firefighters Relief Fund, directly aiding local firefighters and contributing to the FDNY’s counseling and relief efforts.
  • “We benefit the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation and we also benefit the East Valley Firefighters Relief Fund.” – Riley Murph (02:20)
  • “We're actually contributing directly back to the FDNY. The ones who actually went through this. We're really proud of that.” – Riley Murph (05:04)

2. Growth, Tradition, and Unique Aspects of the Event

• The Salt River Fields climb is in its ninth year, growing from 14 initial climbers to over 1,500.
  • “It's grown from...14 people in the stairwell...to over 1500 people. And we raised about $125,000.” – Riley Murph (04:41)
• Events have spread nationwide, but this valley’s event is unique for its direct support to the FDNY.
  • “I believe, one of the only events here in the valley, if not the only event, that actually gives back to the FDNY.” – Riley Murph (04:49)
• Salt River Fields has been a supportive venue, contributing to the event’s community feel.

3. What the Event Feels Like—for Climbers & Spectators

• Host John Holmberg shares a personal story of participating while recovering from a stress fracture and meeting a New York firefighter impacted by 9/11.
  • “I knew it was great. I knew it was special. I came out of it going, that was something different. That was a special moment, and I want other people to do it.” – John Holmberg (08:15)
• Symbolism: Climbers receive a badge honoring a 9/11 firefighter, carrying their memory to symbolically “complete their journey.”
  • “You're carrying that badge...and you're symbolically completing their journey to the top of the towers.” – Riley Murph (06:44)
• All fitness levels can participate. The event is about solidarity and remembrance, not competition.
  • “You have to be capable, but you don't have to be in the greatest shape ever...” – John Holmberg (05:58)
  • “It's all about coming out and supporting and helping raise money to support the cause...It doesn't matter [how much you do].” – Riley Murph (08:42)

4. Why the Cause Matters: Health Risks & Brotherhood in the Fire Service

• Many firefighters suffer health issues, especially cancers, directly related to service—often with insufficient support from workers' comp or insurance.
  • “Cancer is the biggest thing for us right now...Our gear causes cancer. The stuff we breathe causes cancer. Everything causes cancer. It's almost every day.” – Riley Murph (14:01)
• The charity helps fill financial and emotional gaps for those stricken by illness or loss.
  • “If we can help fill that gap a little bit and make the pain and suffering easier for your family while you’re going through...illness—that’s what it’s all about.” – Riley Murph (14:56)
• The culture of the fire service: a brotherhood dedicated to public service—regardless of who needs help.
  • “People call us to solve their problems, right? ... When people don't know what to do, they call 911.” – Riley Murph (10:09)

5. Practical Event Details & Registration

• When: September 13th, Opening ceremony at 6:30 pm, climb starts at 7 pm.
• Where: Salt River Fields at Talking Stick.
• Registration: saltriverstairclimb.com
  • Register by August 22nd to guarantee an event T-shirt.
  • Cost: $35 per person.
• All participants receive a swag bag, shirt (if registered on time), and a badge honoring a fallen firefighter.

6. Memorable, Heartfelt, and Humorous Moments

• The camaraderie and emotional weight among participants create a meaningful experience.
  • “This motivational thing to keep this alive was unreal…It’s just beautiful to see this kind of connection.” – John Holmberg (06:13)
• Light-hearted studio banter about whether anyone is ever “mad at firefighters”—to which Riley jokingly concedes, “Take that back.” (09:46)
• Laughter around the sometimes-bizarre emergencies firefighters encounter (e.g., extracting objects from patients), highlighting the unpredictable and sometimes absurd nature of the job.
  • “You do so much good in the world, and this is what we watch every day. And you guys sometimes have to go save that person.” – John Holmberg (11:28)
• A little needling of co-host Larry’s reluctance to climb stairs, and playful jabs about age and physical fitness for joining the fire service.

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Notable Quotes

• On the Event’s Purpose:
  “We do this really to give back and help…there's always a gap that needs to be filled and this is a way that we can help give back and fill that gap.” – Riley Murph (01:58)

• On Carrying the Memory of Fallen Firefighters:
  “You're carrying that badge…you're symbolically completing their journey to the top of the towers.” – Riley Murph (06:44)

• On Accessibility:
  “It's not a physical…you're not climbing Everest…You don't have to do the whole thing. Right. It's all about coming out and supporting.” – Riley Murph (08:42)

• On the Brotherhood and Service:
  “People call us to solve their problems, right? …When people don't know what to do, they call 911 and 911 will figure out your problem.” – Riley Murph (10:09)

• On the Emotional Impact:
  “I knew it was great. I knew it was special. I came out of it going, that was something different. That was a special moment, and I want other people to do it.” – John Holmberg (08:15)

• On the Realities of Fire Service:
  “Cancer is the biggest thing for us right now...Everything causes cancer. It's almost every day.” – Riley Murph (14:01)

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Important Timestamps

• [01:11] — Riley Murph joins the show
• [01:58] — Why the stair climb matters; gaps in support for firefighters
• [02:20] — Beneficiaries: National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, East Valley Firefighters Relief Fund
• [04:41] — Growth from 14 founding climbers to 1500+
• [05:04] — Direct support of FDNY initiatives
• [06:44] — Symbolism of the badge each climber carries
• [08:42] — Event is inclusive; all levels welcome
• [09:31] — Cost and sign-up details
• [10:09] — On responding to every kind of emergency
• [14:01] — Health risks: firefighting and cancer
• [16:08] — Event specifics: date, time, what to expect
• [17:55] — Experience of last year’s event and call to action

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Final Thoughts

The episode is as much a heartfelt tribute as it is a call to action. Riley Murph’s visit makes clear that participation—whether through climbing, donating, or simply showing up—directly supports those who continue to carry the burden of 9/11 and firefighting in general. The mix of reverence, humor, and real talk is classic HMS. As John sums up, “I finally did it last year. I should have been doing this every year…I got to clear my schedule every year for this because it’s worth it.” (19:34)

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To get involved, register by August 22nd at saltriverstairclimb.com and help honor the firefighters who gave everything.

Transcript

[John Holmberg]

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[John Holmberg]

Wow, that sounds amazing. Can I have a bite?

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[John Holmberg]

Not even a little.

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[John Holmberg]

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[Riley Murph]

You've been deceived by an agent of Satan himself.

[John Holmberg]

He's evil. Sitting right here. Come on. No, no, he's not. He's not evil. He's just a bit rude. We're about to do something. I'm excited about this more than I've been in the past and this has always been a great event. Riley Murph is here. And you. Which. Which place are you with? Who are you with?

[Riley Murph]

Salt River Fire Department.

[John Holmberg]

Salt River Fire Department. And you are here again this year to talk to us about the 911 stair climb, which last year I finally got to do, right? Yep. I finally got to be part of it and I loved every second of it. We were over at Salt River Fields. We a lot of people last year. I don't know how many people ended up being there.

[Riley Murph]

Yeah, I think we had over 1500 climbers last year.

[John Holmberg]

1500 climbers and it's. It's up and down. Now here's the thing before we get into this. First off, why do you guys do this?

[Riley Murph]

You know, we do this really to give back and help. You know, there's a lot of firemen throughout the country that are killed in the line of duty or get job related illnesses, job related cancer and workman's comp doesn't always cover it. You know, presumptive law in Arizona doesn't always happen.

[John Holmberg]

It's.

[Riley Murph]

There's, there's always a gap that needs to be filled and this is a way that we can help give back and fill that gap.

[John Holmberg]

So just fill a bucket just in case. And it definitely comes in handy.

[Riley Murph]

It gets used, you know, so. So we benefit the National Fallen Firefighters foundation and we also benefit the East Valley Firefighters Relief Fund.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah.

[Riley Murph]

So in the East Valley, God forbid one of us is killed in the line of duty or gets job related cancer. You know, that money is there for us, our families to help us get through that time and close that gap to where workers comp and all that stuff doesn't really help.

[John Holmberg]

How many years you've been doing this now?

[Riley Murph]

So this is going to be our ninth year.

[John Holmberg]

Okay.

[Riley Murph]

Yeah. And it's grown from kind of like we told you guys last year, 14 people in the stairwell, a talking stick to over 1500 people. And we raised about $125,000.

[John Holmberg]

And a bunch of other places are doing it now too, right?

[Riley Murph]

Yeah. So the Hundred Club does a stairclimb on the west side in the morning. And then there's another one that just popped up. And these N triple F stair climbs are all over the country.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah.

[Riley Murph]

Red Rocks, Colorado Springs, Lambeau Field, they're all over.

[John Holmberg]

Awesome. And pretty soon we're going to get to the point where you guys are moving around Chase Field, possibly the football stadium. And it's going to grow and grow and grow.

[Riley Murph]

We'll see. You know, we're Salt River Fields has really helped us and they've been there with us since almost the beginning. So we're loyal them. We're going to keep it there. We're going to keep it outside at night. The vibe is. You saw the vibe, like awesome.

[John Holmberg]

It was awesome. It's one of the, it's one of the best things I've done as far as like, you know those charity events where you're like, ah, we'll do a little event in the middle. But it was meaningful. And I met a guy who was actually one of the firefighters in New York. I don't know if you remember him last year and he was there.

[Riley Murph]

We see, we meet those guys every year.

[John Holmberg]

He had a story and I can't even remember it, but I mean his, his friend listens to the show and he's like this Guy flew out from New York just for this.

[Riley Murph]

Really.

[John Holmberg]

Oh, it was amazing.

[Riley Murph]

I didn't get a chance to meet him.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah, he was great and talked to him and he had cancer, I believe it was from this. And he had just. He's in remission, but they were wondering whether or not he was a 911 responder. He was there that day and he flew out for this because he's like, I've gotten over this, I've gotten better. And it was related to, they assume, the 911 stuff.

[Riley Murph]

Well, what's crazy now is there's actually, I believe there's more people that have died from 911 related illnesses than there were that were killed the day of the day.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah, it's. It's an insane man thing to what you think about two 110 story buildings. The dust alone, whether or not it's contaminated is enough to choke you out.

[Riley Murph]

All the stuff that's in it all. Yeah.

[John Holmberg]

And now you gotta.

[Riley Murph]

People that went in there, it was top of that.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah. It was built in 1970. They didn't have the same standards for the asbestos, the conditioning, air conditioning, the vent and all the stuff is toxic crap all through those two buildings that tumbled. Not to mention the other ones that went down too.

[Riley Murph]

Yeah.

[John Holmberg]

So there's a lot of people who are still in need from 9 11, 20, what is it, 24 years.

[Riley Murph]

Yeah. Next year's 25th anniversary. So it's kind of cool. Like our event, you know, benefits the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, East Valley Firefighter Relief Fund. But we're, I believe, one of the only events here in the valley, if not the only event that actually gives back to the fdny. And we're really proud of that. We don't want to be grifters.

[John Holmberg]

Right, right.

[Riley Murph]

So the nfff, they give back to the FDNY Counseling Services Unit, which was originally made to help people out with post 9 11, you know, PTSD and illnesses and stuff like that. So we're actually contributing directly back to the fdny. The ones who actually went through this. We're really proud of that.

[John Holmberg]

And so when we did that last year at Salt river, people asked me all the time. And I had, by the way, a slight, not a major, but a slight stress fracture in my foot when I did it. And it was like, that's fine, you could just tighten up your shoes a little bit. But I'm going through this thing and people are asking me, well, I'm not in shape. Larry always says, oh, I could. I'd never make It. I'm like, you would.

[Riley Murph]

Yeah.

[John Holmberg]

It's not. It's not like this astronomical feat of achievement, except for the firefighters that are humping the packs the same way the guys at 911 do.

[Riley Murph]

I can't even.

[John Holmberg]

And they won't stop Brady going 85 floors.

[Riley Murph]

You go there 110.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah. You go through the whole stadium two times. Right.

[Riley Murph]

It's you.

[John Holmberg]

You have to be capable, but you don't have to be in the greatest shape ever, unless you're one of those guys, and you see they don't stop. And. And I. There was a couple of guys and the. The camaraderie of people who see these firefighters with the full pack, the extinguisher. I don't know how much weight that is.

[Riley Murph]

Yeah.

[John Holmberg]

And they are swamped out. And they're doing it because. Yeah, their brothers did it. They're, you know, the fellow firefighters and stuff. And everybody's like, hang in there. Like, this. This motivational thing to keep this alive was unreal. And this moment that I was feeling with all these other people as we just kept marching up and down and up and down, and then you go past them because they're only taking 10, 12 steps at a time. At a certain point, you realize this is their third time through.

[Riley Murph]

Yeah. It's.

[John Holmberg]

They won't stop. And it's just this, like. It's just beautiful to see this kind of connection.

[Riley Murph]

Yeah. You know, you're saying you're carrying that badge. It's got a fireman who was killed on 9 11, and you're symbolically completing their journey to the top of the towers.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah.

[Riley Murph]

They'll clip it on their helmet or on their jacket, and they're, you know, you're trudging along and you look down at. And you're like, man, I can't stop, like, not quitting. I'm climbing for them.

[John Holmberg]

And that's what I was thinking. I've got this little tiny pain in my foot. And probably a couple of those guys probably had an acre of pain or a busted toenail or something. Just something was. But they still had to hump those stairs. Brutal.

[Riley Murph]

Well, if you look at some of the stories from that day, I mean, there's information available all over online about it. But look up Oreo Palmer. I mean, he was known for his fitness in the fdny, and he ran up and down those towers and helped people. There's. The stories are amazing from that day, and it's. It's just crazy, man.

[John Holmberg]

And like you said, you go there and you get your pack when you sign up. And you sign up where? Online?

[Riley Murph]

Yep. So you can go to salt riverstairclimb.com and it's actually interesting. There's a. To guarantee an event T shirt, you have to be registered by the 22nd.

[John Holmberg]

Okay.

[Riley Murph]

So if you don't sign up by the 22nd, you may or may not get a shirt. We have to make an order, we have to cut it off. All right? Last thing we want to do is turn people away without a shirt. So please go sign up@salt riverstair climb.com.

[John Holmberg]

Salt riverstairclimb.com you go there, you get your bag, shirts are in it. And then you get that little badge. Yep. And at first you're like, what is this? And then somebody explains to you this is. One of the firefighters was there.

[Riley Murph]

Yep.

[John Holmberg]

And my guy's still hanging on the wall in the kitchen. A little bulletin board. Like, you get connected.

[Riley Murph]

Yeah.

[John Holmberg]

A lot of guys looked him up.

[Riley Murph]

And they'll go and look them up. Yeah, exactly.

[John Holmberg]

I looked him up online and it was, you know, it's just an everyday Joe who was just doing his job and that happened. And it's like, man. And you feel this weird sort of like, well, there you go, buddy. I did that one for you. And I know that's happening every year, but everybody's got this. This. This was a thing for me. I didn't expect to be so moved by. Good. You know what I mean? It was like. I knew it was great. I knew it was special. I came out of it going, that was something different. That was a special moment, and I want other people to do it. And again, my big takeaway was stop saying you can't do this because it's a. It's not a physical. You're not climbing Everest and you don't.

[Riley Murph]

Have to do the whole thing. Right. It's all about coming out and supporting and helping raise money to support the cause. Like, people come out and they watch. They bring their kids, they bring their grandparents. They just come out and sit in the stands or they do one time around or one flight. It doesn't matter.

[John Holmberg]

And it's not a speed thing or not racing. Yeah. You can take a break, you can sit, you can do whatever. And it's. It's fascinating. And the people, you know, you guys do this every year. It gets bigger every year. You do a great job, by the way.

[Riley Murph]

Thank you.

[John Holmberg]

This thing can't be easy to put together.

[Riley Murph]

It's. It's not. We have a great team you know, we have sponsors that we form relationships with Plexus and ASR Construction and Discover Salt River. I mean, I could go on, but these people that we have involved in this thing, like you guys, you guys are there with a booth every year.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah.

[Riley Murph]

The people that are involved really want to be there and they support the cause. You know, they're there for the right reason. So thank you to you guys for doing this for us every year. And thanks for coming out and helping us with this.

[John Holmberg]

Anytime you need us for this. This is great. So. Saltriverstairclimb.com what's it cost?

[Riley Murph]

35 bucks.

[John Holmberg]

That's nothing. $35. And it helps out local. It helps out FDNY. It helps out all over the place. And again, no one's ever mad at firefighters. No, I know you guys get it. Like, face to face. You're getting. But I'm just saying, generally, the stuff.

[Riley Murph]

Take that back.

[John Holmberg]

No, no. You think Nobo. The thing was like, we need to defund firefighters. Like, there's no angry political. We hate the firefighters.

[Riley Murph]

Sure.

[John Holmberg]

There's probably funding arguments or a personal beef where a guy hates you in particularly because I don't know why, but the. The vibe on firefighters is always like that. You guys are. There is no political line. There's nothing. You show up, everything's going to be okay.

[Riley Murph]

You know, people call us to solve their problems, right? If you have a problem you can't solve, call us and we'll figure out what it is. You know, we run it from everything from stub toes to. Yeah, crazy technical rescue, complex incidents to your house is on fire. You know, when people don't know what to do, they call 911 and 911 will figure out your problem.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah. Riley, have you ever seen anything like this? Roll it, Brett. Get it there. We'll get it. We'll get. One thing we've got to show you this video. Like this is that. And this will spark a story. Every firefighter that sees something we're about to show Riley, I. This will spark.

[Riley Murph]

I remember what you showed me last. Here's one.

[John Holmberg]

Yep. You can't look. Well, come on now.

[Riley Murph]

I'm good.

[John Holmberg]

You might get a call for this one day. Curious what comes out.

[Riley Murph]

Seen those calls? I've been on those calls.

[John Holmberg]

You have been on this gigantic. Comes out of somebody. Wow.

[Riley Murph]

I knew it. I knew I wasn't getting out of here. Stop for me.

[John Holmberg]

I mean, you've seen something like this. Here it comes. It's. Wait till you see what this is. At the end though, you believe that? I believe people can do that. And you know what's crazy? You go to work in the morning thinking, eh, hopefully it's a normal day. Meanwhile, somebody's stuffing one of those in their bodies and might need you later to come. Dangerous. It's their own doing.

[Riley Murph]

We'll take you to see the appropriate medical profession.

[John Holmberg]

I'm sorry we had to do that.

[Riley Murph]

I knew I would not get out of here scot free. I knew it. There's all. There's always a hitch, there's always a catch.

[John Holmberg]

You do so much good in the world and this is what we watch every day. And you guys sometimes have to go save that person.

[Riley Murph]

I mean, I don't know if we're saving.

[John Holmberg]

Well, if that thing got stuck, you would be.

[Riley Murph]

Yeah, well, imagine said we'll get you to the proper person.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah, that's pretty rough. Yeah. All my point being, you see and actually touch the things that we only see on a screen and can run away from. Well, and again, it's never too late.

[Riley Murph]

To go be a fireman, I guess. Right.

[John Holmberg]

Sure it is.

[Commercial Voice]

Waiting for you.

[John Holmberg]

It's way too late for me. I would love that. Is it possible that a man of 53 could go be a firefighter out of some places?

[Riley Murph]

Probably.

[John Holmberg]

I mean, like really small towns or something.

[Riley Murph]

Some, some places have, Some places have age limits. Like some of the bigger department.

[John Holmberg]

I couldn't just show up.

[Riley Murph]

The physical requirements are. I mean, I don't. I mean, physical requirements are really strenuous. Right. You have to go through a 16 week academy. You have to be in shape.

[John Holmberg]

I can do all that. I don't know if I do good.

[Riley Murph]

You want to do 25 years starting now would be.

[John Holmberg]

Oh my God, no. I'd be 78 years old when it was. Is that right? Yeah. Jesus. Good Lord. No. Do you want to be there?

[Riley Murph]

You're not doing it for that.

[John Holmberg]

You're trying to talk me out of it. He said, it's never too late to be a firefighter. I said, okay. And he said, don't do it. My God. Yeah. So. And, and probably always hiring, right? Always looking.

[Riley Murph]

Yeah. Right now is a really good time to get hired. Everybody's hiring right now. There's a, there's a big shortage because everybody's retiring. It's kind of at that age where these guys are getting out and it's really good time to get hired. It's actually a really good time. In the fire service in Arizona, there's a lot of growth. There's A lot of progressions, a lot of good things going on.

[John Holmberg]

What's your favorite thing about what you do?

[Riley Murph]

Helping people, Honestly, I know it's. I know it's cliche.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah.

[Riley Murph]

But, you know, really, when you don't always get to make a difference in somebody's life, but when you do, it feels good, right? It actually does. A lot of times, you know, you're just doing the routine things, whatever, that become routine through part of the job, but you make a difference in people's lives, and that's. That's really awesome. But also with the stair climb, that stuff is really my favorite. Giving back, helping the guys, you know, that's. That's really what I'm passionate about, is making sure the guys have what they need to do the job and keep their families happy and healthy and kind of fill in that gap if something happens to them.

[John Holmberg]

That's.

[Riley Murph]

That's what I never get told.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah.

[Riley Murph]

You know, it's true. There's always. There's always a need. You know, I sit on the board for East Valley firefighter charities, and it's almost every day we get a request, hey, this person got cancer. This person got hurt on the job. They destroyed their knee. They can't work anymore because they blew out their back or whatever. Right. There's always somebody that's in need from serving the public and giving up their bodies to keep everybody safe.

[John Holmberg]

And going from 0 to 60 at least once a day, every day, where you're just sitting there and, like, maybe not doing much because the day's slow. And then, boom. Next thing you know, you're climbing a ladder. You're pulling somebody out of something. You're doing some crazy car accident.

[Riley Murph]

It's anything, you know? I mean, cancer is the biggest thing for us right now. All the stuff that burns, everything causes cancer. Our gear causes cancer. The stuff we breathe causes cancer. The. Everything causes cancer. It's almost every day.

[John Holmberg]

Do you got. Were you part of that propane fire last year? Do you remember that thing down. It was over by the. Was by the. I forget, but man, oh, man. And I just sat there, and I thought, everybody there is gonna inhale this.

[Riley Murph]

Yeah.

[John Holmberg]

Like, this is the. And they're standing, and there's 110 degrees. And I'm like, oh, you don't think about those kind of things as a normal person. You have to walk towards it.

[Riley Murph]

So, I mean, we have a huge landfill over in our area, and we've had fires there, and we're.

[John Holmberg]

We've had.

[Riley Murph]

We had one Massive fire. And it burned for days and days and days. And you're sitting there, I mean, you have your mask, but nonetheless, like you're still exposed to that stuff. You're in knee deep trash water, you know, filling up your boots in it for hours. The stuff that we're exposed to unfortunately causes a lot of cancer. That's probably one of the number one killers of firefighters right now.

[John Holmberg]

And, and this charity at the very least helps some of that. It does.

[Riley Murph]

You know, you're never gonna, you're never gonna take that away. It's an inherent danger to the child. But if we can fill that gap from where workman's comp and, and other things come in to try to help you, to get you treated, like if we can help fill that gap a little bit and make the pain and suffering easier for your family to go through so they don't have to worry about that while you're going through potentially either career ending or a life ending illness. Yeah, that's what it's all about.

[John Holmberg]

It's the help out. It's amazing. And I'm telling you, I did it last year. I've always talked to you about it. We've done this for a while with you guys.

[Riley Murph]

I was glad to get you guys out last year. Larry's there every year, so it was really cool.

[John Holmberg]

We got to get Larry on the stairs. He told me yesterday, goes, I'm afraid of falling. I said, well, what are you for? Like, it's these stairs, like, they're not going. If you fall, I'll catch you, Larry. And he's like, no, no, no. If I fell forward, all these people are going so fast. And I don't think I'm like, you're, we're getting you on the stairs this year. So Larry's, he's a big supporter. He loves going, but he's, he doesn't want to climb the stairs. He's afraid he'll tumble.

[Riley Murph]

He's been, he's been helping us with this since KUPD's been involved. I don't even know.

[John Holmberg]

It's been a long time.

[Riley Murph]

Eight, seven or eight years since we got you guys on board. And yeah, he's out there every year and he loves it. He's got a smile on his face. Handing out waters, man, this is. Having you guys on board has been an amazing spot. So thank you.

[John Holmberg]

Hopefully we can keep it up. Salt riverstair climb.com Riley Murph thank you for everything you do and we will see you.

[Riley Murph]

What's the date September 13th opening ceremony start at 6:30pm Climb starts at 7. It's at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. You can go to saltriverstairclimb.com to sign up.

[John Holmberg]

And it takes hour and a half.

[Riley Murph]

Yeah. Hour and a half.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah, about an hour and a half to get through the whole thing. And it is a pure. It is a pure joy. You'll walk away feeling great about yourself and everybody you met and everything you were just part of.

[Riley Murph]

We've got some amazing things planned for the opening ceremonies this year. We're swearing. We're swearing in some new army recruits and doing some things. So cool. It's going to be amazing.

[John Holmberg]

Yeah, it was great. So thanks for coming down and pushing this. Anything we can do to sell it out? You got to get it in by the 22nd. You said to get the stuff.

[Riley Murph]

Yep.

[John Holmberg]

Your shirt and things like that. Salt river stairclimb.com Riley, thanks for coming down, man.

[Riley Murph]

Thanks, sean.

[John Holmberg]

Pleasure. It's 98 Holmberg's morning sickness. Riley's such a good dude. Those fire fighters are just. It's a cool group. Again, I go, nobody has a beef. Like, nobody ever says, I'll never call fire department. That's incredible how great these people are. And again, they don't care what your feelings, thoughts, opinions are. You need help, they're there for you. So, Riley, Murph, thank you for coming down here and helping us out and always. I'm telling you, I know Brady can't do it because he's in it. He started to talk about how the doctors want you up and about. I don't think they want you doing stair climbs and short marathons.

[Riley Murph]

No.

[John Holmberg]

A week and a half after your surgery, you need to calm down. We got firefighters there in case, so you'd be in a good place. I take it back. If you're gonna game on, if you're gonna be an R word, you should do it right there. That's a smart thing. But Toledo said he was gonna try. You should get out there and try. It's a good time. And it literally is kind of this eye opening, like, okay, this is a great cause.

[Riley Murph]

I gotta be honest with you, I wasn't paying attention last year. I thought it was during the day, which is why I didn't do it last week.

[John Holmberg]

Too hot to be nice. The weather last year was perfect. It's probably 84, 83, 84 degrees. It was absolutely perfect. And the climb. Yeah. Even if it's hot, it's almost better if it's Hot. You just loosen up faster. But you see some of these. These firefighters in those packs, and you realize what they have, what the potential day can. Their day can break down into without them knowing. Our little friend Scott Haynes, funny listener. Scott Haynes, who's all of five, two, was a wildfire firefighter for a while.

[Riley Murph]

Hot shot.

[John Holmberg]

One of those guys. Yeah, I don't think it was a hot shot. That's like the high end, like Navy SEALs of firefighter. But he was a wilderness firefighter. I forget what they call that, but he was like, man, you never knew. Like, you just have a day going normal, and the next thing you know, you're. You're walking around with £100 on your back and trying to figure out what's happening in your life. It just. This wasn't the way it was. So get on out there and help out, and it's a real easy thing to do. Saltriverstairclimb.com and do it in the next couple days so you can get your swag bag, get your shirt and all stuff involved and then be out there when they give you that little card with the dude who didn't make it, who was climbing the stairs or who was a firefighter in New York that was going through 9, 11. And at first you look at it, you're like, okay. And then you start to realize you're climbing the amount of stairs in a different way. He was going straight up the whole time. You get some down every. You know, you snake through the stadium, and you're like, mine's a lot easier, like, if this was all up. And then you see the firefighters that are in great shape with all those packs, and they're struggling. Like, man, can you imagine that with the chaos and adrenaline and everything that was going on? So you do it for those people, and it's a tip of the cap to make sure that that memory lives on. So pretty amazing. So get involved in that. And I got a text from Donovan that says, all right, home, bird. I didn't want to cry this early, but your heart's starting to show again. You're ruining the brand. I know. I'm trying not to be as sensitive as I am, but I can't help them. I care. I'm a loving individual. So much heart, so much class, really, is what Brady would say if he were still with us. Anyway, so get on. Get on this thing. I'm a big push on this one. I'm an advocate. What they do is amazing, and I'm embarrassed that I've had them in here for so many years prior to last year, saying, oh, great, yeah, you should do it. You should do it. And then two times I was out of town, and, you know, I'll try to get out there, but I couldn't make it. And I'm like, man, finally did it last year. I'm like, I should have been doing this every year. I got to clear my schedule every year for this because it's worth it. And it should be for you to sell it out, get it done today, and make these guys sit back and go, all right, well, now we've got no room, and everybody's gonna make it. A KUPD 911 stair climb with the firefighters, I think that'd be a blast. Got the hot releases coming up next. It's 98.

[Riley Murph]

It's not weird. It's pretty cool, actually. No membership fee.

[John Holmberg]

I have heard enough of.

[Riley Murph]

How do.

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