Marlins join with Tunnel to Towers Foundation and CBS4 to present First Responders Appreciation Night on September 3

MIAMI - The Miami Marlins along with the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation and CBS4 will host a First Responders Appreciation Night on Wednesday, September 3, as the Marlins host the New York Mets at Marlins Park. The Marlins, Tunnel to Towers Foundation and CBS4 will honor the Miami-Dade, Miami, Fort Lauderdale and New York City Fire Departments, EMT's, police, fire personnel and all first responders with a special event package that includes a special edition Marlins First Responder Appreciation duffel bag. There will also be a display of fire department vehicles at the West Plaza.
 
The Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department will present former New York City Fire Commissioner Salvatore Cassano with a Miami-Dade Fire-Rescue flag and helmet during a special pregame ceremony. Appointed Chief of Operations immediately after the September 11 attacks, he was instrumental in rebuilding the New York City Fire Department after the loss of 343 firefighters. In 2006, he was appointed Chief of Department, the highest ranking uniformed position and in 2009 New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg named him New York City Fire Commissioner, where he headed the world's largest fire department.
 
Uniformed members of the Miami-Dade, Miami, and Ft. Lauderdale Fire Rescue Departments will line the bases as Commissioner Cassano throws out the ceremonial first pitch. Clayton Valdes, whose mother was a Florida Highway Patrol Trooper and was killed in the line of duty on May 3, 2013, will deliver the rosin bag as a component of First Responders Night. CBS4's Vanessa Borge will make the "play ball" announcement.
 
The Siller Family started the Tunnel to Towers Foundation to honor the memory of their brother, NYFD Firefighter Stephen Siller, who on the morning of September 11, 2001, strapped on 60 lbs. of gear and ran through the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel to ground zero, where gave up his life saving others. The goal of the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation is to continue Stephen's legacy by honoring our military and first responders who continue to make the supreme sacrifice of life and limb for our country. Funds raised support their many programs including Building for America's Bravest, which builds Smart Homes for the most catastrophically injured veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. This year the Fort Lauderdale Tunnel to Towers 5K will be held on Saturday, September 13 at Huizenga Park starting at 7:30am. For more information and to register please visit www.t2trun.org.
 
For more information on First Responders Appreciation Night, please visit Marlins.com/SpecialEvents.