Foothills firefighters tackle 1,370 stairs for cancer care

Firefighters from across the Foothills are gearing up for the annual Firefighter Stairclimb Challenge on June 8.  

Among them is Okotoks Firefighter Nicole Byrne, who is preparing to scale the 1,370 stairs in Brookfield Place in her equipment, for the third year.  

The climb raises funds and awareness for Wellspring Alberta, a not-for-profit organization, that provides programs and services to firefighters and all citizens living with cancer.    

“Our careers are one of the highest at risk of getting cancer,” Byrne said. “We strive to be the top fundraisers so that we can hopefully find a cure, because our careers are usually short-lived due to cancer.”  

As much as the team enjoys the competition and the fitness aspect of the climb, it’s about raising awareness of the risks firefighters face.  

“It's about trying to raise awareness about what this job does to us. As much as we love it, and we love what we do, there are risks that come with having this job, and that's definitely one of them,” Byrne said.  

To prepare for the climb, the team has been working out, and running stairs, with a few members competing in the FireFit Championships.  

“We have the times up on the board with who is the fastest with a weighted vest on,” Byrne said. “We've been training pretty hard for it.”   

In 2023, Byrne won the stairclimb for the fastest female.  

Byrne attributes her win to her team, motivating her to keep climbing as fast as she could.  

“It's fun to have that camaraderie. We very much are a brotherhood in the fire department and to have people cheering you on that you don't know, it's fun, and it's very motivating,” she said.  

Joining Byrne is Okotoks Firefighter Lisa Barton, who earned the fastest female title in the 2024 climb.  

“This year, it's fun that we're both running,” Byrne said. “It's currently the joke around the department about who is going to win this year because we haven't gone head-to-head.”  

Climbing with the Okotoks Fire Department is Diamond Valley Fire Rescue, the MD Taber Regional Fire Department, and Vulcan County Fire.