ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A St. Pete firefighter is being featured in a national calendar she hopes will be hanging up in homes and offices across Tampa Bay.
Every time someone flips to her month, it means more money is going back to a cause dear to her heart and lungs.
Firefighter Jen Shedler can’t wait to hang the 2022 American Lung Association Firefighter calendar up on the refrigerator in Station Three.
“It's definitely on my firefighter bucket list, I’m very pleased that they asked me and excited that I got to be on the calendar,” said Shedler.
Shedler certainly earned her place as Ms. January. Earlier this year, she climbed more than 800 steps at Raymond James Stadium, in 50 pounds of gear, for the annual Fight For Air Climb
“I started doing this climb because I have a high school friend, both her parents passed away from lung cancer,” said Shedler.
She was one of the hundreds of firefighters across the country to take part in one of the many fundraising climbs. The American Lung Association says these men and women in uniform are their biggest supporters.
“Firefighters absolutely put themselves at risk every day for developing unfortunately lung disease just because of what they do in the line of duty,” said Lindsay Rosegger with the American Lung Association. “So we wanted to recognize one firefighter at the top from each climb in our calendar and really portray each city where we have a presence and hold this event.”
During the last four climbs, Shedler has raised almost $2,000.
Of course, being the only firefighter from Tampa Bay to be featured in the calendar sparked some reaction among the rest of the team at station three.
“They like to make jokes, I think they might be a little jealous,” said Shedler.
She hopes to continue to inspire more firefighters and the public to participate in future American Lung Association events. To purchase your own calendar and contribute to the cause, go to www.fightforairclimb.org.
“It all goes back to our mission to end lung disease and this year specifically we’re raising money towards COVID-19 research and ending lung-related pandemics,” said Rosegger.
