Delta firefighters rose to the challenge last month, raising more than $2,700 in the 16th annual Climb the Wall: Stairclimb to Clean Air, a BC Lung Association fundraiser at the Sheraton Wall Centre Hotel.
The nine-man team from Delta placed five members in the top 20 among the 86 who participated in the firefighter challenge.
Delta team captain Eric Wilson finished with a time of 7:32, just two seconds behind winner David Mitchell from Burnaby.
The Delta team also included Warren Balzer, Torin Bateman, Ken Eyjolfson, Brandon Ferguson, Derek Henderson, Tim Mooney, Kelly Olson and Joe Semler.
"For the first time at the event, we all really enjoyed it. We're looking forward to next year," said Wilson. "Everyone is already talking about how they can improve their time, so it seems this is the start of what will become an annual tradition."
Heading into the event, Delta planned to challenge another department for bragging rights, but that didn't materialize.
Wilson said next year they want to challenge New Westminster.
"They had a member win and had quite a large team, so with them being our neighbours here just off Annacis Island, it would be a good match," he said.
Wilson said climbing the stairs of the 491-foot hotel certainly put everyone out of their comfort zone.
"It hits you quite quickly, especially when you have the full firefighting gear on, plus the tank. It gets hot really quick and it didn't take too many floors before you found out how much pain you would be feeling in your legs," he said.
Another highlight for Delta was the recognition of a member who recently passed away from cancer. Wilson said the team was invited on stage during the post-event awards ceremony where they were given a memorial for battalion chief Mike Cornell, an excellent firefighter and founding member of the Delta Firefighters Charitable Society.
"It was a nice touch to do that climb in his honour and real special that he was recognized," said Wilson.
Collectively, the event raised more than $70,000.
