Firefighters climb for a cause
Personnel from Forest Grove and Cornelius departments will raise money for cancer research again
Firefighters, says Forest Grove Captain Joe Smith, are a competitive bunch. They’re also compassionate. That’s why a team of 10 firefighters from Forest Grove and 14 from Cornelius will be competing in the 18th annual Scott Firefighter Stairclimb March 8 in Seattle.
A total of 1,500 firefighters from across the United States will be climbing 69 of the 76 stories in Seattle’s Columbia Center, all to raise money for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, which conducts blood cancer research.
That’s 1,311 steps – and competitors aren’t wearing Nikes and lightweight Columbia sportswear. Instead, each one will be dressed in full combat gear and a self-contained breathing apparatus, totaling 60 pounds.
Firefighters in New York have plenty of buildings to practice in. Before the 9/11 attacks, they trained in the World Trade Center buildings.
With far fewer options in western Washington County, Forest Grove and Cornelius team members go to the US Bank Tower in downtown Portland to train.
“Last night I went up three times,” said Smith. After reaching the 41st floor, he takes the elevator down and then heads up again.
“The hardest thing is dealing with the heat – you get so hot in all your gear,” he said. But even that is good training for fighting fires.
“This is our fifth year doing the stairclimb,” Smith noted. Last year local firefighters raised $1,250. This year their goal is $3,000.
Overall, the 2008 Scott Stairclimb brought in a record $530,000 in donations from 1,311 team members representing 225 departments.
To simulate the real event in March, Smith and his team are hoping to hold a competition with the Cornelius team in the Safeway parking lot Feb. 28. They’re looking for step climbing equipment to borrow.
“It’s a friendly competition,” says Cornelius team leader Steve Black. “Many of us are friends. We get along great,” he noted.
Like their Forest Grove counterparts, the Cornelius team members also train at the US Bank Tower.
To donate to a particular team, or to learn more about the firefighter stairclimb, go to www.firefighterstairclimb.org.