On Sunday, March 9, 2014 The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s 23rd Annual Scott Firefighter Stair Climb will bring together 1,800 firefighters from nearly 300 departments from all over the world to climb Seattle’s Columbia Tower.

Dressed in 50 pounds of “bunker gear,” including helmet, fireproof coat and pants, boots, breathing apparatus and air tanks used to fight fires, these men and women will climb 69 flights of stairs – that’s 788 feet of vertical elevation and 1,311 steps – to support LLS’ mission  to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma. In 2013, the event raised a record $1.44 million and have set this year’s goal at $2 million.

LLS works to develop profile stories to share with media, so please contact me directly for a variety of story ideas and opportunities. Interviews with participants and day-of photo opportunities are also available. Its sister event, The Big Climb, is scheduled for Sunday, March 23, with 6,000 civilian participants.