Editor's note: Above video features Boise firefighters participating in the 28th Annual Firefighter Stairclimb
Spokane firefighters joined thousands from around the country for the 28th Annual Firefighter Stairclimb to help raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
More than 2,000 firefighters geared up and climbed 69 flights of stairs, or 1,356 steps, at the Columbia Center in Seattle on Sunday morning. Thirty-six of those participants came from Spokane.
The event has raised $17 million over the years for LLS and the goal this year is to raise $2.75 million.
The City of Spokane Fire Department is among the top teams for fundraising, according to the LLS website. The department has exceeded its fundraising goal of $35,000 with more than $44,000 raised so far. Those interested in donating can do so through the end of March.
Spokane firefighters are climbing and raising funds for John Knighten, who lost his life to blood cancer in 2013. Knighten was married with three young daughters, according to a Facebook page made in his memory. He also received the Spokane Fire Department’s Purple Heart Award in 2013.
According to the Spokane Fire Department, Knighten’s death was presumed to be line-of-duty related.
“So today we honor his memory by raising funds to support the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society with the mission of finding a cure for blood cancers,” the department wrote online.
In 2018, a Pullman firefighter won the annual stairclimb. Steve Potratz-Lee completed the climb in 10 minutes and 55 seconds.