By Sheboygan Fire Chief Mike Romas
Preparation, training, discipline, and teamwork paid off as the City of Sheboygan Fire Department attained the first place finish in the fire department team competition at the annual American Lung Association “Fight for Air Climb” on Saturday, March 10, 2018. This is the third time in four years our team has won the competition, we finished 2nd place in 2016.
The event took place at the U.S. Bank Center in Milwaukee which is 47 floors. For this “vertical road race,” the fire department teams climb 1,034 stairs wearing full firefighting gear, including a self-contained breathing apparatus, weighing a total of 60 pounds. The top five times among the climbers from each fire department team are averaged to determine the team’s rank. The City of Sheboygan Fire Department achieved an average time of 8 minutes 41 seconds.
“Training for this event serves as a great tool for team-building as we encourage each other while simultaneously raising awareness for an important cause. Achieving the first place finish is a testament to the high caliber of individuals that comprise our fire department and we are grateful to have support from our community,” commented team captain Joel Johnsrud.
The Sheboygan Fire Department was the defending 2017 Champions with a nine-year course record of 41 minutes and 17 seconds. To maintain their title, the 2018 team consisting of Joel Johnsrud, Efrem Capetillo, Jordan Juday, Justin Langdon, Adam Grandlic, Mike Bayer, Bill Cherek, Alex Ebert, Jestin Demerath, Tyler Schmitt, and Brian Stefancin prepared and trained as a team for a year, since they won the 2017 climb.
We are honored to be among the 24 fire department teams that competed this year and we extend congratulations to all who participated. There were more than 2,350 participants in total – making the Milwaukee event the largest in the country beating out New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. All “Fight For Air Climb” participants work toward a common goal of raising funds to support the American Lung Association’s mission to provide lifesaving education, research, and advocacy so we can beat lung disease and soon find a cure. Over the last several years, the “Fight For Air Climb” events have raised more than $45 million. More info is available at www.fightforairclimb.org.