Wash. firefighter, fursuiter raising funds to fight cancer | Furry News ...

Smalser to climb 69 stories this March for Leukemia and Lymphoma Society

By Tim ?Kijani? Watanabe

Seattle, Wash. native Jacob Smalser enters the 932-foot-tall Columbia Tower during last year?s Scott Firefighter Stairclimb. Smalser will be participating again this year, and hopes to raise at least $500 to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

When Seattle?s Jacob Smalser takes part in his second Scott Firefighter Stairclimb at the 69-story Columbia Tower in Seattle, Washington this March, it will be for a cause near and dear to his heart.

Smalser, who goes by Pike in the fandom, is a volunteer firefighter and Emergency Medical Technician. He lost his younger brother to cancer before he was born, and his mom is a breast cancer survivor.

The charity benefiting from the event is the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Last year, the event featured 1,550 firefighters and brought in a record $1.2 million dollars.

?Cancer runs in my family,? Smalser said. ?It means a lot for me to do this, to help benefit research to help them in the future.?

The 24-year-old already has been giving back to his country, having served in the Army National Guard for the past seven years. He is now currently employed as a Tank Gunner.

?More or less, manipulating the main gun on a tank,? explained Smalser when asked about his job description. ? Also being responsible for my driver and loader, since I?m in a leadership position. Weapon maintenance, and ensuring that my guys are doing their jobs correctly.?

On March 10, he will climb one of the tallest buildings in Seattle, the Columbia Tower, which measures 1,311 steps and 788 feet of vertical elevation.

He will also be doing the climb in full ?bunker gear,? adding to the challenge.

?It?s about 30 to 40 pounds of gear,? he said. ?And, I?m doing it while ?on air,? so I?ll be breathing through an air bottle while I climb.?

Smalser, who finished his first attempt at the climb last year in a time of 26 minutes and 20 seconds, looks to improve his time this year.

?I definitely want to do a lot better,? he admitted. ?In my fire department we actually have a stair-stepper that I?m using to train on, I?m jumping on that for 30 minutes every other day, with a full tank of air.?

Smalser?s has set his fundraising goal at $500 for the event. Having raised around $350 last year, he is looking forward to the opportunity to support a great cause while physically pushing himself to the limit.

?Definitely the challenge of it,? said Smalser when asked what he was most looking forward to about the climb itself. ?But it?s a really cool feeling to actually help others. Not just furries, but anyone actually trying to volunteer to make things better and help their community is beneficial.?

For more information or to sponsor Smalser for the event, visit the website?s donation page at 22nd Annual Scott Firefighter Stairclimb and type in Jacob Smalser in the search box.

Pike fursuit photo by Bobby Yadon

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About the author

Tim Watanabe wrote 17 articles on this blog.

Kijani Lion is a fursuiter and Sports Reporter for a local community newspaper in the Seattle, WA area, and Staff writer with Furry News Network. He enjoys showing the positive side of the furry fandom by brightening the lives of others through fursuit performance at local community and charity events. He will be attending Anthrocon, Further Confusion and Rainfurrest. Other hobbies include: Bowling, golf, tennis, and wildlife photography.

Source: http://www.furrynewsnetwork.com/2013/01/wash-firefighter-fursuiter-raising-funds-fight-cancer/

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