Kirkland firefighters climb 69 floors in Seattle stair climb, raise more than $16,000 for leukemia and lymphoma charity

Kirkland firefighters took part in the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Firefighter Stair Climb in Seattle on March 9, climbing the equivalent of 69 floors while wearing bunker gear, and the city’s team raised more than $16,000 for the charity, podcast hosts said on the March 13 episode of This Week in Kirkland.

“Brave Kirkland Firefighters participated in the LLS Firefighter Stair Climb in Seattle. Now they climbed 69 floors while wearing full bunker gear,” a podcast host said, describing the event. The hosts added that the team raised over $16,000 this year, with about $6,000 coming from a “fill the boot” fundraiser.

Why it matters: the climb raises funds for leukemia and lymphoma research and patient support; it also highlights the physical demands of firefighting — hosts noted teams wear air bottles rated for roughly 30 minutes but often deplete them in about 10 minutes during the climb.

Details from the podcast: - Date of the stair climb reported as March 9 (the podcast gave the date when recounting the event). - Vertical challenge described as 69 floors and more than 1,300 steps. - Kirkland’s team raised over $16,000; about $6,000 was raised through a fill-the-boot campaign.

The podcast framed the event as both a fundraiser and a community-building activity. It did not provide the names of individual firefighters who participated or a breakdown of donor sources beyond the fill-the-boot figure. The hosts thanked the community for participating and noted the department’s ongoing involvement in charitable activities.