Ten Bonnyville firefighters answered the call to climb 1,204 stairs.
The fifth annual Firefighter Stairclimb Challenge, which took place in Calgary on May 5 at the BOW tower, is an event to support firefighters and citizens living with cancer.
”I think pretty much every individual has been touched by cancer to some degree in their life,” said Capt. Craig Wenzel. “So just being able to help raise money for an organization like WellSpring Calgary that gives the money to people who are battling cancer... It’s really nice to see the money go to support people that are going through it themselves.”
Along with WellSpring Calgary, a portion of the funds raised will be donated to the Firefighters Assistance Charitable Society (FACS).
”WellSpring is an excellent centre,” expressed local firefighter Coltin Batke, who participated for the second time this year. “They provide programs for people going through cancer, both during and after. Cancer’s a huge part of firefighting, unfortunately, so they pair up well for that.”
Not only were firefighters challenged to climb 55 stories, they had to make each step of the way decked out in their full gear, which weighs roughly 65-lbs.
Batke said, “The weight and gear makes a much bigger difference than you’d think at first before you do it. The weight makes a huge difference. Our turn out gear is meant to keep fire out, so it keeps all of your body heat in.”
This isn’t the first year Bonnyville’s Station 5, who raised roughly $6,000 this time around, has participated in the stairclimb.
A team from Bonnyville has suited up and made it to the top since the beginning of the fundraiser.
Along with Wenzel, Laura Regenwetter has participated every year.
”We pretty much saw it and we said, ‘hey, that’s a great cause. Let’s go climb a whole bunch of stairs,’” she exclaimed.
This year, someone suggested to have a moustache growing contest for those making the climb.
”I think it came up here toward the end of November, because a lot of people grow it out for Movember, and we decided to keep it going,” detailed Batke. “I know for myself, it’s struck up a lot of conversations, which hasn’t ended in as many donations as I would have liked, but it has struck up the conversation for the cause. I’d say it’s been successful.”
Wenzel added, “As silly of an idea as it maybe was, it’s definitely got the awareness to our family and friends too.”
The climb started with just a few groups from Alberta, Saskatchewan, and British Columbia, but over the years, has expanded and now includes firefighters from across the globe.
For the local members, it was a chance to fundraise and train alongside the people they volunteer with.
”The selfish part for me is, we raise money for a great cause, and we go there with a group from Bonnyville, we have a good time, and it’s a good team weekend for us,” expressed Wenzel.
