It didn't take long for Rural/Metro Fire Department Capt. Dale Jansen to realize the immense task that lay ahead. From his Seattle hotel room window, Jansen watched last week as clouds rolled into the city, obscuring the upper half of the 69-floor Bank of America Building that he would climb in the Scott Firefighter Stairclimb. On Sunday, Jansen, five other firefighters from the department and more than 900 more firefighters from around the globe donned full firefighting gear to climb all 1,311 steps of the building to raise more than $200,000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. The Tucson firefighters, the only Arizona competitors, had trained at the Bank of America Building, 33 W. Congress St., which has 22 stories. "After the first 20 floors, you're thinking 'Not so bad,'" Jansen said. But by the 35th floor, Jansen's oxygen tank was running low as he scaled the stairs drenched in sweat. By the 60th floor, panting and weak, Jansen, who is a cancer survivor, said he looked to Tyler Smith, a local leukemia victim, whose photo was placed inside his helmet, for inspiration and the will to continue. "Your pain is temporary," he said. "Theirs isn't until they kick the disease." Even in competition, the firefighters shared a sense of purpose and camaraderie. "We're all firefighters. We're all in this building together," he said. Rural/Metro is accepting donations for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society at all 12 stations in Pima County, said Battalion Chief Rick Flores. For more information call 297-3600.