East Pierce Firefighters Gear Up to Climb Columbia Tower

To raise awareness and funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, East Pierce firefighters are stepping up to the challenge: 1,311 steps to be exact. They will join 1,500 other firefighters from across the state in the 20th Annual Scott Firefighter Stair Climb, and ascend the Seattle Columbia Tower’s 69 flights of stairs in full fire gear Sunday, March 6.

Last year, the event raised $780,000 for blood cancer research and patient services and this year's event is sold out. The public stair climb, Big Climb Seattle, happens March 20.

Eleven career and 16 volunteer firefighters, including two bottle changers, will represent East Pierce at Saturday’s climb. One firefighter is even planning to climb twice. Already, the East Pierce teams through local fundraising.

Each firefighter is allowed to use two bottles of oxygen on the climb, and the bottle changers are staged at specific levels of the tower to help them switch out their tanks.

“If they run out before they reach the top, they have to finish on room air – not a happy thought,” said East Pierce spokesperson Teresa McCallion. “The stairwell gets very hot and humid from all the sweaty bodies.”

To support the Scott Firefighter Stair Climb, visit www.firefighterstairclimb.org and click on the “Donate Now” tab. Then, search for a team (East Pierce!) and choose a participant or make a donation on behalf of the entire team. Or, donate for the East Pierce team directly by following this link to their donation page.

Tim Jewitt, Will Poe, Rex Orcutt, Matt Reinke, Jacob Poisson, Jason Cancro, Jason Freeman, Don Cole Corey Sanderford, Corey Snope, Adam Lathrop, Ryan Shervanick, Sean Slattery, Tamie Zabroski, Taylor McCluskey, Eric Allen, David Fuhrmann, Adam Hallgren,  Andrew Krasner, Brain Koestler, Brian Hoon, Chris Connelly Jayden Chapman, Justin Carlo, Kady Bieber, Kristin Harbert, Luis Szarko

Bottle changers are James Walker and Brian Dougherty, both East Pierce volunteers.