CLIMB.
CONQUER.
CURE.
By John Demel
On March 9 of next year, 19 Local 935 members from County Fire and
our affiliate agencies will head to Seattle and step up (and up!) to
compete in the 28th annual Scott Firefighter Stair Climb, which benefits
the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
Every three minutes in the United States, another person is presented
with a blood cancer diagnosis—afflictions which account for an
estimated 10 percent of all cancer cases. And for nearly three decades,
some 20,000 firefighters from around the globe have descended
annually on the Columbia Center skyscraper to climb the 69 floors
(788 vertical feet) to the observation deck—wearing full structural
firefighting gear and breathing via SCBA. Through the combined efforts
of these men and women, millions of dollars are raised every year to
support blood cancer research, with the goal of finding a cure.
This year’s climb marks County Fire’s third year fielding a team; our
initial involvement was largely due to the efforts of Engineer Nic Turner,
whose participation dates to 2008 when he worked for Big Bear Lake
Fire. Later hired by San Bernardino City Fire, he spearheaded 935’s
entry following the city’s transition in 2016. While he plans to climb in
2019, Nic is stepping down from his captaincy, turning things over to
Firefighter/Paramedic Kent Meeker and myself.
This year our team will be carrying additional emotional weight up
those steps. Of course, several 935 members have dealt with this
disease, and most of us can name a diagnosed friend or family member.
But this year we climb in part for Local 935 member Mike Carney’s
4 year-old son Mikah, who was diagnosed in September and began
treatment immediately following.
In the months leading up, team members and Local 935 will crisscross
the county holding multiple fundraisers for the Leukemia and
Lymphoma Society. All funds are donated directly to the society, and all
travel costs for the team are paid for by the participants themselves.
Look for members in the coming months in the parking lot at your local
grocery and department stores, using a stationary stair climber as
we bring the story of the event and raise awareness of the toll blood
cancer takes on our members, neighbors and families.
Thank you for your time and consideration, and for your generosity. We
climb because beating cancer is in our blood.
Tower 7 graduate John Demel is a firefighter/paramedic at Fire Station 322
in Adelanto. This will be his second year doing the climb.
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FIREWIRE • FALL 2018
FALL 2018 • FIREWIRE
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