Crime & Safety

Kirkland Firefighter Among Top 50 Finishers in Annual Stairclimb

Jon Hernandez climbed 69 flights of stairs in 14 minutes and 38 seconds as Kirkland firefighters raised some $8,000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

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Jon Hernandez took home the bragging rights among Kirkland Fire Department firefighters competing in this year’s Firefighter Stairclimb Sunday in Seattle, climbing 69 flights in 14 minutes and 38 seconds -- ranking 50th among 1,471 participants.

Henandez, 34, averaged 13 seconds per flight as firefighters from around the world came to Seattle Β as part of the Scott's Firefighter Challenge to support the mission of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. The money was raised through sponsorships, individual and department fund-raising and entry fees.

"I'm pretty happy to stay in the top 50 because you get a good start position next year," said Hernandez, who competed in his third stairclimb. "It was fun. You get to the top and you're completely wiped out."

The Kirkland team raised $8,220 for the effort. Brett Christiansen, 32, finished in 18:17, good for 372nd place, averaging 16 seconds per flight in the 788-foot vertical ascent of the Columbia Tower. Ryan Sheaffer, 36, finished in 19:24, good for 510th, giving the team a total time of 52 minutes and 19 seconds.

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Other Kirkland firefighters participating:

  • Mathew Brummet, 37, finished 653rd with a time of 20:27.
  • Evan Hurly, 29; 717th; 20:57.
  • Steve Suyama, 48; 738th; 21:11.
  • Kent Moffit, 43; 802nd; 21:45.
  • Darren Broekhuis, 28, 977th; 23:53.
  • Jesse Martindale, 41, 1,197th; 28:40.

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