SEATTLE — About 2,000 firefighters climbed to the top of Seattle’s tallest building on Sunday to raise funds for blood cancer research and patient services.
Now in its 32nd year, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Firefighter Stairclimb has raised over $24 million.
It’s the organization’s third-largest annual fundraiser.
“It’s pretty common knowledge that in the fire industry, cancer is something that we’re trying to protect our members from,” said Keith Johnson, an ambassador for the LLS Firefighter Stairclimb from Snohomish County. “This isn’t just a noble cause. It’s a personal cause to just about every single firefighter here.”
Firefighters from 37 states, Canada and France participated in Sunday’s event at the Columbia Center in downtown Seattle.
Event participants had to climb 69 floors of stairs for a total of 1,356 steps to reach the top of the observatory.
“My dad passed away from cancer … and I know that he hated going through treatment. So for me to climb stairs for 20 minutes and be absolutely miserable is nothing compared to what my father and other cancer patients [and] blood cancer patients have gone through,” said David O’Connor, a firefighter from Napa, Idaho, who serves as an ambassador for the event.
The fastest climbers can complete the trek in about 12 to 14 minutes, according to O’Connor, but the average participant takes 18 to 24 minutes to reach the top.
While Sunday’s event was only open to career or volunteer firefighters, members of the general public will have a chance to complete the climb and raise funds for the LLS during the Big Climb on March 26.
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