UPDATE: DETROIT - Firefighters with the Meridian Township Fire Dept. recently suited up for a climb that would literally take them to new heights.

For the second year in a row, Firefighter Jeremy Hagerman and his colleagues were climbing 70 flights of steps to the top of Michigan's tallest building, the Renaissance Center in Downtown Detroit.

"I'm absolutely confident. We're here, we're ready to go, our team's ready to go," Hagerman said. "We've done this before, we know what to expect and certainly we've been training for it and now it's just a matter of executing the plan." 

The event, dubbed the Fight for Air Climb brings civilians and firefighters together to raise money for lung health and lung cancer awareness.

"About 25 cents of every dollar we raise goes back into our mission so it'll fund research, educational programs and advocacy" said Jessie Jimenez-Schlicht, a climb coordinator with the American Lung Association in Michigan.

This year's climb was the biggest yet with organizers saying they had a record number of participants and they expected to exceed their $257,000 fundraising goal. 

ORIGINAL STORY: DETROIT - Firefighters with the Meridian Township Fire Dept. recently suited up for a climb that would literally take them to new heights.