Four M.L. firefighters to climb over 1,200 stairs for cancer charity
Enthusiasm for a good cause can catch on like wildfire. This is how Meadow Lake’s Keenan Gill recruited three fellow firefighters to participate in Calgary’s Firefighter Staircase Challenge coming up in April.
While the fundraiser and awareness campaign is still a few weeks away, the team’s March 29 fundraising deadline is approaching. The event is organized in support of Calgary-based non-profit Wellspring, which supports firefighters and civilians living with cancer. Participating firefighters are required to scale 55 flights of stairs in the city’s iconic Bow Building in full gear, with self-contained breathing apparatuses strapped to their backs.
Gill took part in the event in 2017, raising nearly $1,500 for the cause, and knew he wanted to do it again. When he was talking about it earlier this year during fire practice, Andrew Clements, Lyndon Shryko and Macylin Relitz decided to join in.
“We did a team this year,” Gill said. “We all registered individually, but then put ourselves on the Meadow Lake Fire Department team. We get to represent [the city] and get to meet other firefighters from across the country.”