Local firefighters scaled the 1,370 stairs in Brookfield Place for the Firefighter Stairclimb Challenge on June 8, raising funds and awareness for cancer care.
The climb is in support of Wellspring Alberta, a not-for-profit organization that provides programs and services to firefighters and all citizens battling or living with cancer.
This year, the Okotoks team, The Fit, The Fat, and The Funny, raised over $4,500.
Returning to the climb were Okotoks Firefighters Lisa Barton and Nicole Byrne.
Barton was the fastest female, with a finish time of 13 minutes and 45 seconds, with Byrne coming in at 14 minutes and 54 seconds.
“Lisa won, which surprises nobody because her training right now for FireFit is directly related to this, and she has been working so hard,” Byrne said. “She came out guns blazing, there was no catching her, she took off.”
With Barton and Byrne's quick finish times, the two have earned bragging rights around the Okotoks Fire Department.
“We crushed the guys in the department, which we’re both pretty happy with. Okotoks females just dominated the stairclimb as we have in the past few years, but it’s nice to come out on top again,” Byrne said. “It's not about the competition but it definitely makes it fun.”
This year, the team collectively agreed that the climb was much harder than in previous years due to the heat and smoke.
“The air quality in the stairwell, it was hot in there. We got to the top and were cooking,” Byrne said. “This year seemed much hotter in that stairwell than previous years.”
Despite the challenges the climb brings, it’s important for Byrne to participate every year, as firefighters are at a higher risk of developing cancer.
“We have a unique opportunity to show how our career puts us at risk and how we are willing to step up and help people,” she said. “We had about 25 per cent of our department show up for this event and raise funds. It’s a huge impact.”