Climb for a Cure

U.S. Air Force firefighters from the 386th Expeditionary Civil Engineering Squadron climb up stairs in an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia Feb. 3, 2012. Members of the 386th ECES participated in a 1,280-stair climbing charity event for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s ‘Climb for a Cure’ in Minneapolis, Minn. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. James Lieth/Released)

Climb for a Cure

U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. John Franklin (middle), 386th Expeditionary Maintenance Group deputy commander, descends down stairs in an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia Feb. 3, 2012. Franklin and firefighters from the 386th Expeditionary Civil Engineering Squadron participated in a 1,280-stair climbing charity event for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s ‘Climb for a Cure’ in Minneapolis, Minn.; Franklin has a 7-year-old daughter, Anna, who is diagnosed with CF. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. James Lieth/Released)

Firefighters tackle ATC tower in 31st Annual ‘Climb for a Cure’

Published Feb. 4, 2012
By Tech. Sgt. Stacy Fowler
386th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

SOUTHWEST ASIA -- The team: 15 firefighters from the 386th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron, pairing with their brother team - the Saint Paul Fire Department in St. Paul, Minn.

The climb: 1,280 steps up and down the air traffic control tower stairwells Feb. 3, with their brother team making their climb Feb. 4

The goal: 'Climb for a Cure.'

The reason: Raising money that will go toward finding a cure for cystic fibrosis.

CF is a life-shortening, genetic disease affecting about 30,000 children and young adults in the U.S., according to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Cystic fibrosis is an inherited chronic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system. In the 1950s, few children with CF lived to attend elementary school. Today, advances in research and medical treatments have further enhanced and extended life for children and adults with CF. Many people with the disease can expect to live into their 30s, 40s and beyond.

But right now, there is no cure. CF is a non-discriminatory disease, affecting people from all walks of life. It also affects the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing family.

Lt. Col. John Franklin, 386th Expeditionary Maintenance Group deputy commander, has a 7-year-old daughter, Anna, who was diagnosed with CF when she was a year old.

"My daughter has been a true warrior as she grows up with this disease," said Franklin, deployed from the Pentagon, Washington D.C. "Having these firefighters conduct this tower climb to help raise money for the research and development of a possible CF cure is absolutely outstanding.

"Millions of dollars have been spent over the past 75 years on developing treatments to combat different mutations of CF, and the majority of that money has been raised through private organizations and events such as this," he said. "My daughter is 7 years old now; with a little luck and a lot of resolve, my daughter will live to be 70."

For many, breathing is something many don't think too much about. But for a firefighter, breathing is very important - because that last breath could be the difference between life and death.

"As a paramedic I have had several patients with this disease, and it is heartbreaking," said Senior Master Sgt. Tom McDonough, 386th ECES fire chief. "This is my fourth year of running the 'Climb for a Cure.' As a firefighter I am acutely aware of how important our lung function is to stay alive. You never really think about your lungs until you start to really need them. "

The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation's 'Climb for a Cure' has been one of the nation's largest stair climbing charity events for more than 30 years, said Jeff Eskierka, a firefighter with the SPFD. The climb is a charity event in which individuals climb the 50-floor IDS Center in downtown Minneapolis, Minn.

Eskierka has been working closely with McDonough for a tertiary event here.

"Chief Tom McDonough is the Saint Paul Fire Department chief of training," Eskierka said. "Chief McDonough has taken part in past 'Climb for a Cure' events and, I suspect, the slight inconvenience of his deployment was not going to deter him from participating in this year's event."

To help combat challenges a nine-hour time difference made for simultaneous climb start times, the team here decided to complete their climb a day early - just to give the St. Paul team something to live up to, McDonough said.

The team of 15 firefighters, a mix of young Airmen and older, more-experienced NCOs and senior NCOs, will have a different method of conducting their climb, but the overall results will be the same.

"We will ultimately climb the same number of steps, but we will have the time that we travel down to factor into our time," McDonough said. "The time we go down the steps is a bit of a rest, so we will up the ante a little by wearing full turnout gear and a Self-Contained Breath Apparatus."

Eskierka admits this is the first time he's run into a secondary team tackling the climb.

"This is certainly a departure from the norm. I do not believe this has ever been attempted before in any stair climbing [event]," he said. "All of us involved in the Minneapolis and Saint Paul's 'Climb for a Cure' would like the members of armed services to know how grateful we are for your sacrifice and hard work, and we wholeheartedly support you in your efforts overseas. We'll be thinking of you in the stairwell!"