COLUMBIA FALLS — The Columbia Falls Fire Department is participating in the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) Seattle Firefighter Stairclimb this weekend.
Firefighters from across the country gather every year to climb Seattle’s tallest building, the Columbia Tower, in their full gear to raise money for blood cancer research.
This year, Columbia Falls has committed a team of eight firefighters to make the 69-flight climb and to raise $5,000 for the cause.
Columbia Falls firefighter Jade Thomas says the department is participating because of the impact blood-related cancers have on the lives of firefighters.
“It's very obvious when you're on a fire scene how much smoke that we're exposed to and how much carcinogens we end up exposed to in our gear,” Thomas said. “The risks and dangers is obvious on a fire scene, and then the more reports you dig into, you realize how elevated that risk is we're taking on not only as firefighters ourselves, but what we bring home to our families.”
The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Seattle Firefighter Stairclimb will take place Sunday, March 9 and you can donate to Columbia Falls FD's fundraiser here.
