Firefighters Raise Funds for Worthy Cause

Members of the St. Louis Fire Department competed March 1 in the “Master the Met” fundraising event sponsored by the American Lung Association.

The “Master the Met” event was a competitive stair-climbing fundraiser that raised more than $200,000 to fund clean air and smoking cessation programs. Approximately 900 people climbed the 1,000 stairs of the 42-story Metropolitan Square building in Downtown St. Louis.

A special segment of the competition was for firefighters. More than 30 area firefighters, wearing all their gear, raced up the stairs of the Met. F.F. Mike Byrne, F.F. Irving Moorehead, Capt. Mike Gabbert, F.F. Jacob Wiatt and F.F. Billy Richards competed against members from the Eureka and University City fire departments.

Congratulations to the St. Louis Firefighters for finishing in 1st place in the Team Division with a time of 22:48, and congratulations to F.F. Mike Byrne on recording the fastest individual time of 6 minutes, 30 seconds in the special segment.

Firefighters trained for this event by running the steps of the Fire Department training tower and high-rise buildings in their districts, while also taking advantage of the treadmills and stationary bikes located in every firehouse.

The only prize these firefighters were aiming for was being able to claim bragging rights over the other fire departments. Firefighters are very competitive when it comes to being the best at something.

A special thanks also goes to Battalion Chief Doug Cribbs for assisting with training and selecting a winning team.

Public Safety
City of St. Louis
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