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Calgary Herald

Hundreds of firefighters climb Calgary's tallest tower to support cancer care

Article content Dongworth noted the climb also simulates real-life scenarios. 'We have to climb stairs at fires sometimes. We don't always rely on elevators. Sometimes elevators aren't there. There are no elevators or the elevators aren't working, so we often have to take a lot of gear upstairs already with our firefighting protective equipment on.' Article content Article content He described the 'hard climb' as a mental battle. 'I make a habit of not looking at the numbers of the floors,' he said. 'Because if you follow the numbers, it seems to take even longer.' Article content In a statement, he added the event is a 'powerful reminder' of the health risks firefighters face, with cancer being the leading cause of line-of-duty deaths in the profession. 'It's an important way to give back and support organizations like Wellspring Alberta, who provide the care and resources so many need during the toughest times,' he said. Article content Article content This year's climb also featured a Challenge the Chief component, where non-firefighters attempted to race Dongworth to the top of the tower. Article content Article content Aime said the fundraiser continues to grow each year, bringing greater visibility to Wellspring's services and to the risks firefighters face in the line of duty. Article content The Firefighter Stairclimb Challenge was inspired by Seattle's Scott Firefighter Stairclimb and was founded in memory of fallen Calgary firefighter Gord Paul by his sister, Kathy Blas. Article content In addition to supporting Wellspring, a portion of proceeds go to the Firefighters Assistance Charitable Society, which offers peer support and resilience programming for firefighters in Calgary, Red Deer, Cochrane and Lethbridge. Article content 'It's firefighters helping firefighters,' said Marco Ficaccio, one of the directors of the Firefighters Assistance Charitable Society. 'People think that firefighters come, they do their job and then they go home. They don't really see like some of the trauma that we're exposed to. They don't see the hardships.