Firefighters training for a stair-climbing event outside of the Goose Community Grocer on Saturday were joined by Santa Claus, who cheered them on as they huffed and puffed.

Every year, firefighters from around the world gather at the Columbia Center in Seattle to climb the 933-foot tower’s 1,300 steps during an event to raise funds for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Sean McDougald, a career firefighter with South Whidbey Fire/EMS, said 11 firefighters who live on the island within the district will be competing this year on March 9.

“I’m doing this because my girlfriend was diagnosed three years ago with stage two lymphoma and has been cancer-free now for about a year,” he said.

During the training event last week, South Whidbey Fire/EMS raised over $1,000 in donations. Strapped into full firefighting gear, Jon Gabelein and Cooper Ullmann took turns using the stair-climbing gym equipment.

McDougald explained that they wear about 50 pounds of gear while ascending the stairs. This includes a breathing apparatus that requires a tank change about halfway up the tower’s 69 floors.

“Last year there was a team that came from France and another from New Zealand,” he said. “This is the world’s largest on air firefighter stair climb.”

Most people complete the grueling climb within 20 to 30 minutes, McDougald said, although the speediest among them has a finish time closer to 10 minutes. Around 1,600 firefighters participated last year.

Though extra training beforehand is not necessarily a requirement, McDougald said, it’s a good idea.

South Whidbey Fire/EMS plans to host two more training sessions from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Jan. 11 and Feb. 23 outside of the Goose. Donations can be made to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in person at the training sessions or online at events.lls.org/pages/wa/firefighterstairclimb25.

(Photo by David Welton) Firefighter Cooper Ullmann aims to climb 100 floors.