BONNYVILLE – Members of Bonnyville Regional Fire Authority (BRFA) Station 5 had a different view during this year's stairclimbs, as the events went virtual.
Seven Station 5 firefighters answered the call to participate in the sixth annual Firefighter Stairclimb Challenge, which normally takes place in Calgary at the BOW tower, to raise money for firefighters and families struggling with cancer. One local firefighter had signed up for the United States-based Leukemia Lymphoma Society (LLS) Firefighter Stairclimb.
Station 5 Cpt. Craig Wenzel was all ready to go to Seattle, Washington in March when the event was cancelled with less than a week's notice.
“It was kind of a scramble to cancel flights, hotels, and everything like that,” he recalled. "Then we just kind of waited it out to see what happened, training closed down and kind of was on pause for close to a month. Then, when it seemed like everything was going to go virtual, we got back into training.”
Instead of making the trek up the 1,356 stairs of the Columbia Centre, Wenzel used a staircase inside Station 5 dressed in full gear and using an oxygen tank.
“It took roughly an hour going up and down the stairs non-stop with an about four-minute break in between where I had my tank changed by my daughter, Jensen,” he explained, adding using the oxygen tank is the differentiator between the Seattle and Calgary events.
“The biggest difference I find is focusing on your breathing so you don’t go through a lot of air faster. It’s a matter of just concentrating on your breathing techniques and whatnot.”
The Bonnyville Rodeo Grounds was the location for the Station 5 virtual Calgary Firefighter Stairclimb Challenge. Members walked up and down the grandstand stairs until they reached 1,204 stairs.
“We got a great view of the rodeo grounds and it was a beautiful day for it,” exclaimed Lt. Coltin Batke.
Over the last six years, those participating in the Calgary climb look forward to team building while raising funds for a good cause. Wenzel noted it was an important aspect for them to include this year, especially since it looked different than previous years.
“Personally, what you get out of it besides the obvious of raising money for a good reason, is the camaraderie and everything that we do to get out of it. We try and make as much fun of it as we can,” Wenzel added.
Batke agreed, “I think the best way of putting it is we’re a family here. We love spending time together, and if we can go and raise money for a good cause, work on our own health, and get to hang out in the process, it’s exactly what we’re here for – aside from keeping the community safe.”
Both Wenzel and Batke are veterans at the stairclimb challenges, with Wenzel having six years of experience and Batke three.
“Another really good outcome of this is keeping our hearts and bodies healthy,” Batke noted. “Being volunteers, we don’t get paid to upkeep our fitness. We all have our own lives going on and, just like everybody, it’s hard to make time for it. But, the work we end up doing can be very hard on a person’s body… If you’re not taking care of your heart, it’s not taking care of you.”
With another year of over one thousand stairs behind them, everyone involved from Station 5 is eagerly looking forward to what next year holds with the hope the events will be in person.
