March 8, 2012 -- Portland firefighters collected donations for the Scott Firefighter Stairclimb in honor of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society this past Saturday outside of the Pearl District REI.

Firefighters donned their full turnouts and helmet while climbing a step-mil stairclimber in the back of an antique fire engine.

This was a warm up Sunday, March 11, 2012, when a group of Portland firefighters will join 1,550 firefighters from across the U.S., Canada, and Germany and travel to Seattle to climb the 69 story Columbia Center tower for the annual Scott Firefighter Stairclimb. At 788 feet of vertical elevation, the Columbia Center (formerly Bank of America Tower) in downtown Seattle stands as the second tallest building west of the Mississippi. It takes 69 flights of stairs and 1,311 steps to reach the highly acclaimed observation deck overlooking the city.

The Scott Firefighter Stairclimb supports the mission of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, raising money through sponsorships, individual and department fundraising, and entry fees. In 2011, the event featured over 1,500 firefighters from 281 different departments and brought in a record $930,000 for blood-cancer research and patient services. 

Lilli Skinner-Trippe, 2012 Honoree 

The 2012 stairclimb is set to honor Lillian Trippe of Corvallis, Oregon who at just three-years-old lost her battle with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) in August. ALL is a fast-growing cancer of the white blood cells and the most common form of leukemia among adolescents.

How to Help

Although the event is open only to firefighters, the public can contribute to a local firefighter or firehouse participating in the Scott Firefighter Stairclimb. To contribute, please visit www.FirefighterStairclimb.org.

Big Climb

On Sunday, March 25, the public can tackle the same Columbia Center steps at the 25th annual Big Climb, which also benefits LLS. For more information, visit www.BigClimb.org.

About The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) is the world's largest voluntary health agency dedicated to blood cancer. The LLS mission: Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. LLS funds lifesaving blood cancer research around the world and provides free information and support services.