Polson firefighters return to Seattle for stair climb event

A team of firefighters from Polson recently competed at the 31st annual Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Firefighter Stairclimb Competition in Seattle. The event was held virtually the previous two years due to the coronavirus pandemic, but it returned to Columbia Center tower this year.

It’s the world's largest on-air stair climb competition, open only to career, volunteer or retired firefighters. More than 1,200 members of the fire service participated.

The climb is 69 flights, 1,356 steps and 788 feet of vertical elevation, culminating at the Sky View Observatory on the 73rd floor. The entirety of the course must be completed while wearing full turnout gear, typically weighing 60-plus pounds.

This year’s team included ​​Reggie Heiser, Robyn Bishop, Pete Bishop, Spring McKee (bottle changer), James McKee, David Bittinger and Philip Reed.

The top three times per team make up the team score. Heiser finished with a time of 16:18, 84th out of 1,200-plus climbers. Bittinger and Reed rounded out Polson’s team score with times of 21:04 and 28:38.

The event is a fundraiser for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and donations will be accepted through June 30. To donate to the local team, visit tinyurl.com/4fbvx8r9, click on the “Donate” button and type in Polson Fire. As of Tuesday, the local team had raised almost $14,000.