A trio of firefighters from the Sicamous will be gearing up to ascend the 55 storeys of Calgary’s Bow building.
Leading this endeavour is Dan Roddick, a lieutenant with the Sicamous Fire Department. This will be Roddick’s fourth visit to the Bow building for the annual Firefighter Stairclimb Challenge. He’s teaming up with two other Sicamous firefighters, first-time climbers Josh Younker and Kaleb Edwards, for the 2020 event being held May 3.
Roddick, Younker and Edwards will be among hundreds of firefighters from across Canada and around the world who will climb the Bow’s internal stairwell in full firefighting gear. Funds donated to the firefighters will go to Wellspring Calgary, an organization that supports people battling cancer, their caregivers and their families.
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Roddick said he has been training hard in hopes of shaving at least three minutes off his time of 28 minutes last year, and his fellow climbers are excited to go as well and are already planning to make the climb an annual pilgrimage. Roddick said climbing partners are essential as they help keep each other motivated every step of the way.
The Bow’s staircase, with 1,204 steps, is a daunting enough challenge on its own, but the firefighters take them on wearing close to 80 pounds of equipment. Roddick said climbing the stairs in full duty gear, including helmet and air pack, is exhausting.
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“Every storey gets tougher, your legs get more tired, you start running out of breath more. It’s quite a struggle but it’s well worth it for the cause we’re supporting,” Roddick said.
Also worth the trip, according to Roddick, is the camaraderie and sense of community that comes with the climb where all the participants are firefighters.
Donations in the name of Roddick, Edwards and Younker are currently being accepted online at http://wsyyc.convio.net/site/TR. Roddick’s fundraiser page said the Sicamous team’s trip to Calgary is entirely self-funded so all money collected will go directly to Wellspring Calgary’s efforts to help cancer patients.
jim.elliot@saobserver.net
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