How fast can you climb 69 flights of stairs wearing 50 pounds of gear?
More than 100 firefighters from about a dozen local departments faced that challenge last weekend at the bottom of the Columbia Tower in downtown Seattle at the Scott Firefighter Stairclimb.
Firefighters climbed those stairs dressed in full gear and breathing apparatus to raise money for blood cancer research.
“It was very challenging but definitely rewarding to finish,” said Jason Stearns, a part-time firefighter with Monroe Fire District 3.
Stearns, 28, climbed for the first time this year and plans to do it again. What was hardest? Not stopping. Not even once to take a break. “Just to challenge myself to see if I could,” he said.
“It was a great experience,” he said. “Just being surrounded by that many people doing the same job … and everybody doing that for such a great cause.”
For Everett firefighter Jack Murrin, 39, the cause means something special. A 12-year veteran with the department, Murrin has climbed the tower for 10 consecutive years now. “I continue to go back for more,” he said.
Each year, Murrin dedicates his climb to a specific person. This time, he climbed in honor of a 15-year-old Mountlake Terrace boy who is battling leukemia. Murrin even created a Web page to help him raise money. People have donated more than $3,500, he said.
Climbing all those stairs is a physical and mental challenge like no other.
“It is so grueling and difficult, nothing compares physically,” Murrin said. “To the point that your body is telling you to stop.”
About 1,500 firefighters took on the challenge this year, said Mike McQuaid, a spokesman for the event. They came from all over the nation, as well as from Canada, Germany and New Zealand.
Local departments that participated included Camano Island Fire, Bothell Fire and EMS, Granite Falls Fire, Everett Fire Department, Hat Island Fire, Lake Stevens Fire, Marysville Fire District, Monroe Fire District 3, North County Fire and EMS, Paine Field Fire, Snohomish County Fire District 1, Snohomish Fire and Rescue, and Snohomish County Fire District 7.
Katya Yefimova: 425-339-3452, kyefimova@heraldnet.com.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
