Haddam Fire Team to Climb Hartford 21 for American Lung Association

On Saturday, March 31, a team of Haddam Volunteer Fire Co. Firefighters will be donning their complete turn-out gear, putting on self contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), turning on the air supply to climb from ground level to the top of the Hartford 21 building. What has become a national event for Fire Departments, climbers raise donations for the American Lung Association.  Some teams will wear running shorts and tank tops, others will wear parts of firefighting turn-out gear, and a few teams will wear every bit of equipment that they would use when going into the worst fire conditions possible.

“We are preparing for a very hard climb,” says Jay Selmer co-captain of the Haddam Fire team. 

“The climb will be 686 steps up 31 floors. We will be going up as a team wearing all of our equipment, just like how we work at emergency scenes.” 

The event starts at 9:00am, with teams leaving the ground floor every 20 seconds. 

The team will be raising funds in advance to contribute to the good work done by the American Lung Association. The American Lung Association is the oldest voluntary health organization in the U.S. Founded in 1904, their mission is to save lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease. Over the years, the American Lung Association has worked to bring tuberculosis under control, to educate the public about the dangers of smoking and secondhand smoke and to provide education and advocacy for children and adults who suffer from lung disease. Today, their focus is on healthy air and healthy lungs for everyone.

Lung disease, including lung cancer, asthma, and emphysema, is the third leading cause of death in the United States. Over the last decade, the death rate from lung disease has been growing faster than the death rate from almost any other disease.

The team asks that anyone interested in donating to the team’s fund raising goal send a tax-deductible donation to the Haddam Volunteer Fire Co. – PO Box 194 – Higganum, CT 06441, marked Stair Climb Team.

More information on the activities of the Haddam Volunteer Fire Co. and ways you can get involved can be found on our website – www.HaddamFire.com.  

Submitted by: Bob Norton, Haddam Volunteer Fire Co. Public Relations Liaison