Firefighters take on stair challenge - Local firefighters raised $25,000 for cancer research. photo

Fourteen local firefighters from the Black Butte Ranch, Cloverdale, and Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire Districts traveled to Seattle last weekend to participate in the 25th Annual Firefighters Stairclimb sponsored by the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

This year, Sisters Country firefighters were able to raise over $25,000 for this worthy cause, thanks to the kindness and generosity of the community and visitors. As of Monday morning the team of firefighters was in 10th place for fundraising among teams from over 300 different fire departments. Firefighters competed with more 1,900 other firefighters from six countries and 26 states for time in the 69-story climb. Last year this event raised over $2,000,000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. The funds raised are used to fund research to fight blood cancers and to assist families with quality-of-life issues while fighting these diseases. Efforts to find a cure have borne fruit in recent decades. In 1960, the most common type of leukemia had a 3 percent cure rate among children. Today the cure rate is at 90 percent.