Starting Saturday, Feb. 6, and continuing for two more weekends, Eastside Firefighters will team up with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in their annual “Climb for a Cure” campaign. Firefighters will be raising funds, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. each Saturday, Feb. 6 at the Issaquah Fred Meyer, Feb. 13 at the Sammamish Safeway and Feb. 20 at the Gilman Boulevard Safeway, in preparation for the Climb for a Cure taking place March 6 at Columbia Center.

Over the last eight years, Eastside Firefighters have raised $254,157 through the event. The Scott Firefighter Stairclimb supports the mission of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, raising money through sponsorships, individual and department fundraising, and entry fees.

The event each year features 1,800 firefighters from over 300 different fire departments and brought in a record $1.97 million for blood-cancer research and patient services last year alone. Firefighters climb 69 flights of stairs, 1,311 steps in full combat gear to reach the observation deck overlooking the city of Seattle. Eastside Firefighters climb for one reason, to help find a cure. The team was number one in fundraising from 2010 to 2012, and have been in the top three ever since.