They climbed and climbed and climbed, and in the end, the BC Lung Foundation won.
Sunshine Coast firefighters joined the 350 people climbing the 48 storeys of the Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre Hotel last weekend in the 22nd annual Climb the Wall fundraiser for the BC Lung Foundation.
The Sechelt Fire Department raised the most of any team at $13,710. Sechelt also boasted the single largest contributor: retired fire chief Bill Higgs who raised $6,520. Overall, the event raised more than $140,000 to benefit the foundation's Asthma Education Centre. When Coast Reporter spoke with Dylan Chow, a lieutenant with the Sechelt department, on Feb. 27, the much larger Vancouver fire department was still behind but closing the gap.
“It's a really cool feeling that we come from a smaller town and we are able to put these kinds of numbers on the board and be at the top,” said Chow. “Our extremely supportive community, who have our backs all the time, did not disappoint.
“I think that really goes to show a lot for what we do and what we have within our community.”
The Sechelt department had eight competitors, including Higgs, four of whom had never done Climb the Wall before. Everyone completed the challenge, including a first-timer who climbed the 48 floors in full gear with a breathing apparatus in 8:47. All of the team members finished in under 22 minutes.
“It's really hard to explain just how challenging it is. There's a mental aspect of it, there's a physical component to it. And then there's a fitness component to it,” said Chow. “You start literally in the basement, downtown Vancouver, and you've got to get yourself up to the 48th floor. So you're in these narrow stairwells…Sometimes you pass people, sometimes you're just with your own thoughts.”
This was the first Climb the Wall event since the pandemic started. Members of four Coast fire departments attended, said Chow, including Gibsons, Roberts Creek and Halfmoon Bay. Roberts Creek – as of when we spoke – was third in team fundraising at $8,843. Halfmoon Bay raised $2,170 and Gibsons raised $1,375.
Chow noted the camaraderie among the Coast departments.
“It’s totally a group effort,” said Chow. “We all work together, whether it's on calls or for other charities. The partnerships that we have are superb, and it makes the job easier.”
