On any given day, firefighters may be faced with life or death situations. They may find themselves in environments that demand everything their bodies, minds, and souls can give. The importance of having bodies that can handle the physicality of being firefighters can’t be understated.
Pulling hoses, running towards an emergency, carrying heavy equipment or, at times, another human being, and of course, climbing ladders are all part and parcel of being an effective firefighter. And climbing is indeed what four Mattapoisett firefighters accomplished on a monumental scale in Boston on March 5.
Lieutenant Justin Dubois and firefighters Justin Blue, Silas Costa, and probationary firefighter William Olivier participated in the 7th Annual Multiple Sclerosis Society’s Climb to the Top at the former Hancock Tower now known as the 200 Clarendon Tower.
The annual challenge gives individuals, as well as organizations and more specifically, fire departments from throughout the state, a chance to demonstrate their strength and stamina while helping to fund the work of the society.
This year, approximately 700 very determined people scaled the 61 stories of the tower starting in the basement and ascending skyward 1,200 steps to the top.
For those who participate as fire department teams, special criteria mandates the donning of full turn-out gear and air tanks and personal equipment that can weigh as much as 80 pounds.
“Some teams train all year,” said Dubois about preparation for the event. Considering there aren’t any tall buildings in the local area, Mattapoisett’s team keeps fit by running and working out at gyms. “With this career, you’ve got to be physically fit.”
Dubois explained that people in Mattapoisett probably do not realize that members of the local department could be deployed to help in other communities to provide mutual aid. He shared that after a tornado hit Springfield in 2011, Mattapoisett firefighters helped with search and rescue efforts.
“We don’t just stay in this quiet little town … we could get called anywhere,” said Dubois. “We have to be prepared for anything.”
And prepared they were.
They completed the tower climb in 24 minutes, and Dubois said with a chuckle, “Well, if we didn’t stop for water we might have saved a couple of minutes.”
They worked together as a team during the ascent making sure no team member was more than one floor away as they urged each other onward and upward.
For the return trip, everyone took the elevator down to terra firma. In the lobby, refreshments and greeters thanked all for their participation.
Nothing was more meaningful, Dubois said, than the man in a wheelchair who was shaking hands.
“That made it real,” he said.
Regarding a return performance next year, Dubious responded, “We all said we are going to do it again.”
By Marilou Newell
Left to right: Lt. Justin Dubois, firefighter Justin Blue, probationary firefighter William Olivier, and firefighter Silas Costa.