1,311 Stairs, 69 Floors

A firefighter's full bunker gear (the boots, pants, coat and helmet), mask and selfcontained breathing apparatus weigh close to 75 pounds.

The boots are big, heavy and tough, making you feel as though your feet have been encased in rubber-coated cement blocks. The thick pants are nearly inflexible, like wearing rubber shields. The helmet itself weighs several pounds and is loaded with attachments. And the whole get-up is hotter than an attic in the summertime.

A firefighter's duty, however, is clear: To break from all activity at a moment's notice, rush to the fire department, don this heavy, restrictive protection in less than a minute, climb up into a truck and spend sometimes the rest of the day fighting unpredictable, intense and life-threatening fires at peril of life and limb.

At Columbia County Fire District #3, located within the city of Dayton, all but two members of the department do all of this for free. Their rewards are simply knowing they're needed and experiencing the excitement that comes with a dangerous job.

Cimmaron Perkins knows all about volunteering his life away. For many years, he volunteered with Walla Walla County Fire District #4 while working a day job in heating and air conditioning.

In 2009, at the age of 34, Perkins turned from all other pursuits (with still occasional forays into hunting and four-wheeling) to dedicate his time to firefighting in Columbia County as District #3's only fulltime firefighter/ EMT.

Now Perkins, in his spare time, plans to "put Dayton on the map." The 36-yearold public servant will travel to Seattle on March 6 and, with 1,500 firefighters from around the world, will climb 1,311 stairs - 69 floors - inside a stairwell to the top of the Columbia Center.

In full fire gear and wearing his oxygen tank.

"From what I understand, the worst thing is that the gear is waterproof, so it doesn't breathe," Perkins said.

And with firefighters beginning the climb at 15-second intervals in succession all day, that stairwell is going to get hot and stuffy - a "chimney effect," Perkins called it. "The only saving grace is that the air from the tank will be cool."

"'You're crazy,' were my exact words to him," said Toni Truitt, EMS captain at District #3. Truitt is Perkin's "pusher," keeping him motivated, focused and in good spirits. After all, the climb is part personal challenge, part fundraiser and part publicity for local firefighters.

The Scott Firefighter Stair Climb is an annual event. At 788 feet of vertical elevation, the Columbia Center (formerly Bank of America Tower) in downtown Seattle stands as the second tallest building west of the Mississippi. It takes 69 flights of stairs and 1,311 steps to reach the highly acclaimed observation deck overlooking the city.

In 2010, firefighters from 247 different departments climbed those stairs - to showcase their department, challenge themselves, and raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. They brought in a record $780,000 for blood-cancer research and patient services.

Perkins will be the first firefighter from Dayton to participate in the stair climb. He is anxious to represent Columbia County and prove he can make the long climb.

"The fundraising part of this is not just to raise money for a good cause but it's also a way for people to appreciate our firefighters," said Truitt, who's been with District #3 in Dayton for 10 years. "For one thing, he's going to put us on the map. He's going to show all these other departments, many from big cities, that even though we're a small community, we have the same training and capabilities as they do." Each climber is timed. Last year, a firefighter from Perkin's old s tomping grounds, Walla Walla District #4, placed 52, making the climb in 14 minutes 50 seconds. Shawn Ongers from the City of Walla Walla Fire Department placed 16th, with a time of 13:39.

"When you look at making that number out of 1,500 guys, that's amazing," Perkins said.

Perkins has been training for about two months, beginning with climbing the stairs at his home in Dayton - he has to run them 56 ½ times to equal 69 flights. He also climbs the stairs up the hill between 5th and 6th Streets in Dayton.

Other training has included using the equipment regularly at Dayton Fitness Center. And recently he's been running the stairs with some of his gear and a 40-pound weight vest.

"Starting this week I'll probably do all the training in my gear," he said Sunday.

He has just one month until the event. But he hasn't changed his diet much - adding more vegetables and fruits, perhaps. "I'm still a meat and potatoes guy," he said .

And he hasn't lost weight. In fact, he's gained a few pounds in muscle.

He can run - up and down - 1,400 stairs in about 26 minutes right now. He "really starts to feel it" at about 800 steps. When he first started, he was winded after just a few flights, he said.

"Next year I'll start much sooner," he said.

He's also hoping to encourage some buddies at the station to join him next year. On his own, Perkins has raised over $600 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. His goal is $1,000.

Blood cancers such as leukemia, Hodgkin lymphoma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, myeloma and myelodysplastic syndromes are cancers that originate in the bone marrow or lymphatic tissues.

Every four minutes, one person is diagnosed with a blood cancer, according to the society's website.

An estimated 137,260 people in the United States will be diagnosed with leukemia, lymphoma or myeloma in 2010. New cases of leukemia, Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma and myeloma will account for 9 percent of the 1,529,560 new cancer cases diagnosed in the United States this year.

To support Perkins, visit www.firefighterstairclimb.org and click on "Donate Now" in the center of the page below the text "Scott Firefighter Stair Climb." You must type "Cimarron Perkins" into the appropriate boxes.

You may also mail checks to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Donor Services, P.O. Box 4072, Pittsfi eld, MA 01202. Be sure to write "Scott Firefighter Stair Climb: Cimmaron Perkins" on the memo line.