Published Sunday, March 13, 2022

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON (USA) – Over 2,000 firefighters across Washington State, nationwide, and around the Globe are “battling” the stairs up the 73-floor Columbia Tower in downtown Seattle today. This is all in the name of raising money to help The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society non-profit which specializes in blood cancer research and provides support and educational services to patients and their families.

Your Donations At Work

(c) NWFB

LLS is a non-profit organization based in the northwest and has worked directly with northwest firefighters those fundraising efforts by Firefighters, have reached over $20,000,000 since the inception of the event in 1991.

All donated funds are tax-deductible. Check with your Finance Advisor for details on how you can claim these on your taxes.

Raising Funds for Blood Cancers

This fundraising event is a highlight in any firefighter’s life, when they jump at the first opportunity to do two specialized operations, one, helping raise funds for the LLS organization which is known as the largest health organization specializing in finding cures, funding cancer research, helping provide compassion, support, and education which is a lifeline for many.

Top 20+ Fundraisers – Teams

Since the inception of the LLS Firefighter Stairclimb in 1991, firefighters have raised a whopping $22,000,000! Firefighters are doing it again by raising millions more.

  • $68,162 – Boise FD (ID)
  • $54,556 – Everett FD (WA)
  • $39,756 – Moscow Volunteer FD (ID)
  • $39,733 – Seattle FD (WA)
  • $34,166 – Longview FD (WA)
  • $33,828 – Okanogan County Fire District 6 (WA)
  • $29,154 – Tacoma FD (WA)
  • $28,896 – Gig Harbor Fire and Medic One (WA)
  • $27,924 – Tukwila FD
  • $26,269 – Cody Volunteer FD (NY)
  • $25,726 – Murrieta Fire & Rescue (CA)
  • $25,716 – Skagit County Fire District 6 (WA)
  • $25,014 – Portland Fire (OR)
  • $23,842 – Bellevue FD (WA)
  • $23,000 – Sisters Fire (OR)
  • $22,931 – Douglas County Fire District 2 (WA)
  • $21,312 – Nampa Fire (ID)
  • $20,724 – Renton Regional Fire Authority (WA)
  • $19,875 – Keizer Fire District (OR)
  • $19,583 – Billings FD (MT)

Top 10 Individual Fundraisers

  • $30,574 – Mike Mann
  • $25,716 – Jerry Bawyn
  • $19,063 – Joe Paterniti
  • $17,843 – Richarde Brown
  • $16,904 – HR Coe
  • $15,276 – Tiago Pacheco
  • $13,805 – Andrew Stang
  • $13,132 – Amber Butler
  • $10,025 – Steve Nixon
  • $ 9,700 – Jay Hagen

Firefighters Gear Up

Firefighters must “gear up” by wearing their full structural turnout gear while on air up 69 floors of stairs, approximately 1,356 steps at 788-feet of vertical elevation in the downtown corridor of Seattle’s Columbia Center. This is the second tallest building west of the Mississippi and the tallest in Seattle.

Firefighters will race up the stairs to the iconic Sky View Observatory which overlooks the beautiful Seattle skyline that only those can dream about. They know this will be a grueling course but they know this is a symbolic moment for those who are blood cancer patients will endure much more along their journey. This is one way they can give back to help those impacted by this terrible disease in hopes of finding a cure and conquering cancer.

The Columbia Center event is located at 700 – 4th Avenue in Seattle, Washington. Only friends and family are allowed in if you are on the Volunteer Support Team or listed as a Staff Member.

Thank you, everyone, for your tireless efforts, dedication, community volunteerism, and most importantly, for representing and raising funds for an amazing organization and for those with blood cancers and their families. – Ed.

(c) 2022 NW Fire Blog