Help local firefighters in the Scott Firefighter Stairclimb

Every year, firefighters from all over the world raise money via donation and pledge for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and then gather in Seattle to sprint up 69 flights of stairs.

Oh…and one small detail — they tackle this in full-on gear.

To put that in perspective, these firefighters tack on an extra 50 pounds with the helmet, fireproof coat/pants, breathing apparatus and air tanks used in fighting fires, and then dart up 69 floors of the Columbia Center Towers. That’s 1,356 steps in case you were curious.

The fundraising event began 26 years ago and has raised more than $10 million dollars to help develop new, more effective and less toxic treatments for patients with blood cancers.

This year’s Scott Firefighter Stairclimb is March 12 and firefighters from Boise, Caldwell, Nampa and other local departments were able to make registration. (The event sells out in less than an hour.)

You can help with the participating fire departments’ fundraising efforts. A “CrossFit. Conquer. Cure.” event runs from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Feb. 18, at Snake River CrossFit, 1123 N. 36th St., Nampa.

This will be a CrossFit-style partner workout with power cleans, front-rack lunges and push-ups. Cost is $10 per person ($20 per team).

There is an additional “grand finale” event just for local area firefighters. Each department will have the option of selecting a team of three to represent them in the Max Effort Sprint for the Cure. The top three finishing teams will receive cash prizes to be donated to their team’s fundraising efforts.

Spectators are welcome and encouraged to cheer on their local firefighters.

Visit the event’s Facebook page for other options or contact Eric Haskins at (509) 951-4678 or Eric@snakerivercrossfit.com.

This story was originally published February 16, 2017 at 8:03 AM with the headline "Help local firefighters in the Scott Firefighter Stairclimb."