Woodinville's Fire Chief Will Take On the Stairs at Columbia Center This Weekend

Woodinville Fire & Rescue Chief David Daniels will be spending Sunday running up stairs. Lots and lots of stairs. Daniels will join more than 1,500 firefighters and paramedics from around the world at Seattle’s Columbia Center to participate in the annual Scott Firefighter Stairclimb.

Now in its 2oth year, the stairclimb is a fundraiser for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Firefighters from across the United States, Canada and New Zealand will participate in Sunday’s event, according to event organizers. They will climb 69 flights of stairs to the 73^rd floor of Seattle’s tallest building. Columbia Center rises 943 feet above downtown Seattle, roughly one-and-half times higher than the Space Needle. The firefighters will do it in full turnout gear, including a breathing aparatus.

“Depending on who you talk to, that weighs about 60 pounds,” Daniels said. “But that’s OK, that’s just walking thirty minutes carrying stuff.”

This is the fourth time Daniels, 50, has participated. He said he’s not going to try to beat last year's top finisher, Kory Burgess of Missoula, Mont., who completed the climb in 11 minutes, 1.35 seconds. He figures it’ll take him about half an hour to complete the climb.

“It’s not about getting there first for me,” he said. “It’s about setting an example. If I ask my staff to be in good shape, I have to be also.”