Kevin Burrell knows what it is to hit a wall … he hit that wall on the 44th floor of Brookfield Place last June, when he tackled the Wellspring Firefighter Stairclimb Challenge just two weeks after completing high dose radiation treatment for prostate cancer.
“I had done the firefighter stairclimb three times before that, but this time was different. Not being able to train or get to the gym, and being drained from radiation, I really had a tough time. I actually reached a point where I thought about quitting,” said Kevin.
It was at that point, that Kevin’s teammate, Kyle Luciuk, circled back to support the man who had been his mentor and deputy Chief when he joined Waldheim Fire and Rescue.
“When I got to the top floor and Kevin wasn’t behind me, a switch flipped in my head and at that moment I knew I had to go back for him,” said Kyle, adding, “During difficult times when I didn’t think I was cut out for firefighting, Kevin never gave up on me, so I wasn’t about to give up on him in that moment.”
Along with being a mentor and role model for others in the department, it was Kevin who had inspired Kyle, along with others, to join the stairclimb challenge a few years earlier.
“It started off as a peer pressure kind of thing … hearing Kevin talk about what the stairclimb meant to him; how good it felt; the sense of accomplishment – I had to join just to see first hand how that would feel,” said Kyle, adding that he was hooked after experiencing the exhilaration and comradery at his first event in 2022.
For Kevin, part of the exhilaration seems to come when he inspires others to join. “I think I know of six or seven who have signed up this year. I’m glad to see people show up and support the cause,” he said.
Now, living in Wetaskiwin where he works for Brandt and is a paid on-call firefighter for Wetaskiwin Fire Services, Kevin continues to push himself to rise to the top, and to bring others along for the ride. This year will be his fifth stairclimb, and with cancer now in the rearview mirror, he has already started training.
