Sisters firefighters raise funds

On Saturday, members of our three local fire departments scattered throughout Sisters to raise funds for blood cancer research as part of the annual Scott Firefighter Stairclimb.

Firefighters and supporters from Black Butte Ranch, Cloverdale, and Sisters-Camp Sherman fire districts collected donations to support the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Last year, local firefighters participated in this event which raised over $2.2 million for this charity.

Firefighters could be found at Dutch Bros. Coffee, Ray's Food Place, and Mainline Station. Besides allowing firefighters to solicit donations, Dutch Bros. also donated $1 for every cup of coffee sold Saturday to the fundraising campaign. This brought in an extra $668.

The local firefighters have set a fundraising goal of $20,000 this year. So far they are more than halfway there with donations of over $12,000. Firefighters will continue to be out in the community working toward their $20,000 goal through February.

A total of 14 firefighters from the three local departments have signed up to participate in this fundraiser. Each of these firefighters will compete for bragging rights with 1,900 others next month when they climb 69 stories of the Columbia Tower in Seattle, while wearing full firefighting gear in a timed event.

Although individual members of these local agencies have competed in the past, this year the group has formed a regional team called the Sisters Country Firefighters for the 25th anniversary of the Seattle Firefighter Stairclimb.

These firefighters would like to especially thank Dutch Bros. Coffee, Ray's Food Place, and Mainline Station for allowing them to conduct their fundraising efforts at these businesses.

Donations can be made to the cause at any of the local firehouses, or online at http://www.firefighterstairclimb.org. Click on the donate tab, then search for the name "Sisters Country" under the team name search bar.