Firefighters will race for a good cause
From left, firefighters Rhyan Smith, Kelly Smith, Grace Johnson, Jade Thomas, Megan Kehl, Chief Karl Weeks, Colt Vessels, Jeremiah Jost. (Photo provided)
On Tuesday mornings at 6 a.m., eight members of the Columbia Falls Fire Department gather at the training facility to practice running up stairs in full gear, breathing units included.
They do as many reps as they can. It’s all in preparation for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Stair Climb in Seattle March 9. The Columbia Falls team will race fire departments from all over the world up 69 flights of stairs in the Columbia Center —an ascent of 788 vertical feet—all while wearing full firefighting gear, which weighs about 60 pounds.
This is the third year Columbia Falls has been represented in the competition, said firefighter Jade Thomas, but the first year with a full team of eight.
“With a large team, we’re committed to an ambitious fundraising goal of $5,000,” Thomas said last week.
Age ranges of Columbia Falls firefighters from their 20s into their 50s, Thomas noted.
She said elite teams from Missoula and Seattle can do the climb in about 10 minutes. The climb attracts firefighters from across the country.
While they compete as a team, they race individually, Thomas noted. The staircase is too narrow for eight firefighters at once.
They’re raising funds for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, which a leader in blood cancer research and patient support.
“As firefighters, we’re at an elevated risk for cancer due to the conditions we face on the job, so it is our duty to be involved with cancer combating efforts,” Thomas noted.
Cancer risk in firefighters is higher than the general population due to the exposure to toxic substances such as smoke and soot, which is not only breathed, but absorbed through the skin, according to studies.
People can donate through the following link: https://events.lls.org/pages/wa/firefighterstairclimb25/ColumbiaFallsFireDepartment