West Pierce firefighters climb Mount Everest for the third time

Josh McDowell, a firefighter and paramedic with West Pierce Professional Firefighters Local 1488, has once again climbed the world's highest peak, Mount Everest. This remarkable feat marks his third successful ascent.

Reflecting on the experience, McDowell said, “Mentally, it was a great opportunity to go back and face fears after a near-death incident in 2017 and come back to work for a different organization than the one I had had over the years. spent in Nepal.

For this expedition, McDowell partnered with Climbing the Seven Summits, a guiding company run by a longtime colleague. In both mountain guiding and firefighting, McDowell says there is a strong sense of camaraderie and a “family” atmosphere, where team members rely heavily on each other .

“Whether it’s guiding or fighting fires, we need to go into ‘work mode’ and rely on our training to accomplish difficult tasks,” he said. “Both of these jobs put me in life or death situations where remaining calm and focused is crucial. People are counting on us and we cannot let our guard down.

McDowell says another key similarity between the two fields is training.

“At West Pierce, we spend a lot of our time training and honing our skills, and the same goes for guiding,” he said. “During our Everest expedition, non-climbing days are spent preparing for the next climb. Both in the fire service and in guiding, if plan A fails, we must quickly adapt and move to plan B.”

McDowell's achievement was widely celebrated by his community and by West Pierce Firefighters Local 1488. The local posted on social media: “A big thank you to Brother Josh McDowell! Congratulations on reaching the summit of Mount Everest. Climbing the world's highest peak once is remarkable, but doing it three times is truly extraordinary.

“I am grateful to be a part of Local 1488,” McDowell said. “I felt immense support and love from my brothers and sisters at 1488.”

Reflecting on physical and mental health, McDowell spoke about the importance of outdoor recreation for firefighters. “Hiking, climbing, hunting, mountain biking or running are crucial activities for us. Our work is physically and mentally demanding. Being active outdoors helps us stay fit and relieves stress at work.

Encouraging others to pursue their own adventures, McDowell said: “If you have the means to do it, I encourage anyone who wants to do it to do it. It's incredibly expensive financially, but it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for most people and being able to stand up there and watch the sunrise and see the curvature of the earth is something that only a handful of people will have a day. the opportunity to do so.