Firefighters from eight countries took to the stairs in Seattle on Sunday to raise funds for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS).
Climbers from 27 states, plus Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Germany and New Zealand took part in the annual Scott Firefighter Stairclimb at the Columbia Center. The 69-story building is the second tallest building west of the Mississippi River and it takes 1,365 steps to climb to the observation deck.
“I climb so that one day when I reach the top we will have more survivor photos rather than memorial photos, which means we have found a cure," said Dave O’Connor, a firefighter in Nampa, ID. "The agony we go through is nothing compared to what those affected by blood cancer go through. I am truly blessed to be able to climb in honor of them and with survivors!”
Climbing groups were organized into battalions, according to campaign assistant Emily Muirhead. The "Survivor Battalion" included 15 people who have survived a battle with cancer. Two survivors were profiled on Firehouse.com last week, Tiffany Moyes from Washington and Mark Taylor from Oregon.
"The Scott Firefighter Stairclimb means we, as firefighters, get to help others so that they will not have to suffer, so they will not have to endure treatment and so that we may see the death of blood cancers, not the deaths of friends and family members,” said Boise, ID, firefighter Rich Brown. “The impact is amazing; research and patient services are felt in the lives of the patients and families of patients. Firefighters have the honor and duty to celebrate and promote the meaning and impact of the climb.”
Missoula, MT, firefighter Andrew Drobeck was the fastest male climber, handling the 69 flights in 10:58. The fastest female climber was Jessi Nemens, representing Kent, WA, Firefighters Local 1747. She climbed in 17:02.
The fastest three-person team to climb was the Missoula City, MT, Fire Department Team with a combined climb time of 36:23. You can find all of the results here.
One of the climbers was Firehouse Editor-in-Chief Tim Sendelbach.
"As a first-time climber and attendee, I was overwhelmed by the hospitality and organization of this event," Sendelbach said. "The staff of LLS put on a first-class event that challenged the fitness levels of the participants while supporting an incredible cause. Firehouse is honored to play a small part in the success of this event and we look forward to increasing our support in the years to come."
Muirhead said the stairclimb raised over $2 million.
