The Pella Fire Department is joining the fight against lung cancer this weekend.
Volunteer firefighters Jeremy Scott, Brad Ter Louw, Jason Schroeder, and Lance Van Zee are participating in the Fight for Air Climb this Sunday in downtown Des Moines. Scott says they were challenged by Fire Chief Doug Van Gorkum to gather a team for the volunteer fire department relay.
“He had gotten a letter from the Marshalltown Fire Department that competes in it, and challenged us to have our team get together,” Scott says. “It was due to his heart with (Van Gorkum’s) wife’s year fighting lung disease and trying to get a double lung replacement.”
Terlouw expects a friendly, but competitive, environment, all in the hopes of winning the battle against lung cancer.
“I imagine between the four of us, there will be a little ‘who did it better?’ as well,” Ter Louw says. “They picked me to do the least amount of floors because they said I have a shape and it’s round, which I took offense to, so I want to go out there and beat everybody,” he joked.
All four firefighters will climb flights of stairs in downtown Des Moines wearing their full rescue gear. To donate to members of the Pella Fire Department, click here.