Carrying a 20kg Oxygen Tank, Climbed to the 101st Floor... 'Firefighter Competition' Gains Attention

Domestic 2nd Tallest Skyscraper LCT
Climbing Stairs Wearing Fireproof Suit and Oxygen Tank

Is it possible to climb the stairs of a 101-story building carrying a 20kg oxygen tank? On the 25th, more than 890 firefighters who participated in the 'National Firefighter Stair Climbing Competition' all completed the course without exception. The fastest record was 15 minutes and 39 seconds.

Participants are climbing to the 100th floor at the National Firefighters LCT Stair Climbing Competition.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

The Busan Fire Disaster Headquarters hosted the 2023 National Firefighter Haeundae LCT Stair Climbing Competition. The event took place at LCT, the second tallest skyscraper in Korea (total height 411.6m, 101 floors).

The number of firefighters participating nationwide was 895. Among them were some female firefighters, all equipped with 20kg oxygen tanks for the competition.

The competition format was simple. In the competitive category, participants had to complete the climb wearing either firefighting gear or light gear. There were 2,372 stairs, and the physical burden was even greater due to the heavy firefighting gear worn in addition to the oxygen tank.

Firefighters gathered under the Busan LCT building.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

However, all 895 firefighters who participated successfully completed the climb. In particular, the fastest record in the light gear category was 15 minutes and 39 seconds (Firefighter Byeon Jeong-woon from Ilsan Fire Station, Gyeonggi Province).

The first place in the firefighting gear category was taken by Firefighter Yoon Ba-ul from Cheongju Dongbu Fire Station, Chungbuk. He achieved back-to-back victories following last year's competition, improving his time by 2 minutes and 45 seconds from 23 minutes and 48 seconds last year to 21 minutes and 3 seconds.

What was the secret to completing the stair climb that tests the limits of human endurance? The firefighters cited a shared motivation: the mindset of 'rescuing.'

Participants are reaching the 100th floor at the National Firefighters LCT Stair Climbing Competition held at LCT.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

When a fire breaks out in a super high-rise building, it is difficult to approach using only fire ladder trucks. Ultimately, firefighters must enter the fire scene directly via the stairs, and this competition was designed with such extreme situations in mind.

Kim Man-su, head of the Public Relations Team at Busan Fire Disaster Headquarters, emphasized, "There is a saying that a firefighter's physical strength is the ultimate firefighting equipment for super high-rise fires. Many firefighters regularly exercise and manage their physical fitness, and through this competition and training, we wanted to show their efforts."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.