Keizer Firefighters Join Stairclimb Event for Fourth Year

Participants wear over 50 lbs of firefighting boots, pants, jackets, gloves, helmet and self-contained breathing equipment in racing up the 69 flights of stairs, or 1,311 steps, to reach the top of the building.

Keizer Lieutenant Danny Fisher at a previous stairclimb Photo courtesy: Team Photogenic 2005/Keizer Fire

(KEIZER, Ore.) - A team of six Firefighters from the Keizer Fire District will travel to Seattle, Washington on Sunday, March 2nd 2008 to participate in the 17th Annual Scott Firefighter Stairclimb, the largest individual firefighter competition in the world.

This is a fund raising event for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and it is the fourth year that a team from the Keizer Fire District has participated in this event.

Jim Trett with Keizer Fire says this year’s team organizer is Firefighter Jim Simpson. He is inviting area residents to support the teams fundraising efforts.

Simpson said that all proceeds from this event benefit the mission of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society to find a cure for leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and melanoma and improve the quality of life for patients and families.

Anyone wishing to make a pledge, or a contribution, to the team can mail it to Keizer Fire District, Attn: Jim Simpson, 661 Chemawa Rd. NE, Keizer, Oregon 97303; or, drop it by the Keizer Fire Station Business Office during normal business hours.

The stair climb takes place each year at the Columbia Center Building in Seattle, Washington. At 788 feet in height, it is the tallest building in Seattle and the second tallest building west of the Mississippi river.

Participants in the event wear over 50 lbs of firefighting boots, pants, jackets, gloves, helmet and self-contained breathing equipment in racing up the 69 flights of stairs, or 1,311 steps, to reach the top of the building.

The Keizer team is expected to join over 1,000 firefighters from 200 fire organizations from as far away as New Zealand for this year’s event. Last years event raised $365,000 to battle Leukemia and Lymphoma.

This year’s team includes Firefighter Jim Simpson and Lieutenant Scott Wildfang, participating in their third stair climb. Firefighters Danver Moody, Rob Lieder and Firefighter/Paramedic Greg Biben will be participating in their second stair climb.