Local firefighters are preparing to run up 69 flights of stairs to fight cancer.
The Spokane County Fire District Eight team practiced on a stair climbing machine in a South Hill parking lot on Saturday to raise awareness and money for the challenge. The Firefighter Stairclimb challenge takes place in Seattle, and is a fundraiser for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
Firefighters climb all 69 flights of stairs in full gear. District Eight firefighter Jennifer Raudebaugh said their climbing team of three, an all women team, has been training hard since May 2019.
"Cancer is a super high risk for firefighting," Raudebaugh said. "If we can get a cure for cancer, for the blood cancers, we can help a lot of people."