Ten Mercer Island firefighters are participating in the 26th annual Scott Firefighter Stairclimb on March 12, ascending 69 flights of stairs (1,356 steps) in the Columbia Center to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

The annual fundraiser is open solely to firefighters, and completed in full structural firefighting gear, including boots, pants, coat (liners intact), helmet, gloves and a breathing apparatus.

“As firefighters race to the top of Seattle’s tallest building, they keep in mind that every step forward is symbolic of moving towards finding a cure for all those battling a blood cancer,” according to the event’s website. “While completing the climb is a physical triumph in itself, it is also symbolic of, but pales in comparison to, the strenuous journey that all cancer patients endure.”

In 2016, the event featured over 1,900 firefighters from over 330 different departments and five different countries and brought in a record $2.3 million for blood-cancer research and patient services.

This will be the 20th time Mercer Island firefighter Kent Bastrom competes in the event. The department must raise $300 per person, or $3,000 total, to participate, but its goal is $10,000.

The first firefighter will enter the stairwell at 8 a.m. Firefighters will continue to start at about 12-second intervals throughout the day.

Top racers finish in as little as 10 or 11 minutes, while the average participant takes about 20 to 30 minutes to finish.

To date, LLS has invested over $1 billion to develop cancer therapies and advance the production and application of many drug treatments. Now in its 26th year, this event has raised over $12 million for LLS.

To donate to the Mercer Island firefighters, go to www.llswa.org/goto/mercerisland.

Mercer Island firefighter Trever Kissel climbs a Stairmaster in front of QFC as part of the department’s fundraising efforts for the Scott Firefighter Stairclimb. Photo courtesy of MIFD