Seven Cochrane Firefighters and the Mayor of Cochrane took their training outside last Thursday (April 18) afternoon, as they prepare to compete in the annual Firefighter Stairclimb Challenge.

Hundreds of firefighters from across North America and the world will climb the stairs of Calgary’s BOW tower on May 5th, in support of firefighters and citizens living with cancer. 

Climbing 1204 steps in full duty gear, Chris Chyka Senior Firefighters says last Thursday afternoon's training session was a tough one to get through. "It was awful, absolutely awful; my shoulders were sore for at least a day and a half afterward. One of the disadvantages of training in our particular tower (which is about four and a half stories) is we run up and then we come down and no matter how we run them we do get a bit of a rest phase. Going up was a straight slug with all our weight and the pack pounding on us, and then running down the hill which was equally as tough, was a real grind. Going up the hill, probably a quarter of the way up I could feel my breathing change."

Although the hill was a real challenge, the boys still ran it in and around eight minutes. "When we got back down to the bottom, we rested for a minute and then one of the crews went back up again for a second time, which was good on them. The hill mimics the tower in certain ways in the fact that you don't get to stop, once you get on your horse you have to climb all the way to the top."

This year has been a different training year altogether for the two crews, as Mayor Jeff Genung and CAO Dave Devana have also joined in. "It has been a pretty special training event for us as he hasn't missed a day along with the Town CAO. It has created a different perspective and it rehashes a lot of the memories from when we ran it the first year. So the runs in the morning that you don't want to do and the general soreness, it brings us back to when we all started this."

The boys have not given the Mayor or CAO any preferential treatment during training, and Chyka says Mayor Genung has consistently shown up and pushed through the workout just as the firefighters have. One opportunity the joint training effort has provided is a mutual higher level of respect on both sides. "I think it has given him insight into our comradery, friendship, and teamwork particularly on those mornings when you are just sore and tired, and you don't really want to do it but you are doing it because of the other guys that are there. So those mornings when it is harder, I think that is where he really saw us support one another. This is a marquee event for us at the hall and I can see him being part of this event in the future."

Over this next week Fire Team One, Fire Team Two and Mayor Jeff Genung will back off the heavy weight training sessions and just do a couple of light runs in shorts and t-shirts. 

Going for total team time, Chyka believes both teams may be able to move up a couple of slots in the overall rankings compared to past years.

Still looking to add to their overall donation total, Chyka says they are absolutely grateful for all monies received. If you can donate a few bucks to the boys' efforts and help an incredible organization, you can do so HERE (under Team Cochrane Fire Team#1 or Cochrane Fire Team 2)