Our own Chief David Daniels (below center) was one of Renton’s seven climbers who joined firefighters from across our state in climbing the 76 story Columbia Tower.

Chief Daniels explained to me that the firefighters had to complete the climb in their fire gear, including their breathing mask and apparatus, which makes a strenuous climb much more challenging. As we talked, I could not help but think about the heroic firefighters who charged up the World Trade Center stairs only to have the towers collapse underneath them as they reached the top.

Chief Daniels is in amazing physical shape, and I’m sure could compete with any younger firefighter in his department. But he explained that the challenge is that after ascending all those stairs in fire gear, it takes the firefighters time to catch their breath before they can do a bunch of physical work at the top. As a leader in the Association of Washington Fire Chiefs, Chief Daniels shared some good ideas that fire professionals are working on to make it more effective to handle fires in tall buildings. For example, keeping fire fighting equipment in closets high up in the building could save lots of work manually hauling the stuff when the elevators are out.

As for me, I just feel safe knowing we have a great emergency team keeping us safe night and day, and working to keep us safer in the future. It’s a bonus knowing that the chief himself could carry me out of a burning building if he had to.

Renton Firefighters Climb the Columbia Tower for Charity

RENTON: Fire Chief/Emergency Services Administrator, I. David Daniels
of the Renton Fire & Emergency Services Department led a group of seven
Renton Firefighters up the Columbia Tower during the annual Scott
Firefighter Stair Climb for Leukemia on March 2, 2008. Over 1,300
firefighters from as far away as New Zealand completed the stair climb
with times ranging from 11 minutes 37 seconds to one hour and 37
minutes, with 97 female firefighters among the finishers. All seven
Renton firefighters completed the climb with one chief officer placing
third in the 50 and over age group.

Renton placed 22 out of 156 teams in the team category. Battalion Chief
Stan Engler, Firefighter Josh Brown and Firefighter Dan Alexander
represented the department in the team category.

The Scott Firefighter Stair Climb was started in 1992 as an effort to
raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. A handful of
firefighters demonstrated a high rise stair climb in full bunker gear
and air packs. This event has grown to be the single largest
firefighting competition in the world.

The Columbia Tower in Seattle is the second tallest building west of
the Mississippi River. Firefighters climb 69 floors to the observation
deck. It is 788 vertical feet and 1,311 steps to the top.

Last year, over 200 departments from around the world participated in
the stair climb. Collectively they raised $365,000.

The goal of Renton’s Fire & Emergency Services team is to raise
$25,000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Donations may be made by
visiting the website at
http://www.active.com/donate/17thscottstairclimb/Rentonfire or at
www.iaff864.org/. For more information on the Scott Firefighter
Stairclimb, please visit www.FirefighterStairclimb.org