11th Annual Fire Truck Pull happening Saturday morning

COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO) — The 11th Annual Fire Truck Pull will take place at 10 a.m. Saturday morning on Lady Street between Main and Sumter Streets.

Held by the Columbia-Richland Fire Department and “Curing Kids Cancer,” 250 people are expected to participate in this year’s event, with teams pulling a fire truck for 50 feet, and many contestants wearing costumes based on their sponsored kids’ favorite things.

Mike DeSumma is with the Columbia-Richland Fire Department.

“It’s truly wonderful, every team that takes part is pulling in honor of a child that’s battled cancer or is currently battling cancer. So every team has not only a theme that they’ve come up with, but also they’re pulling for that kid. And for them to be able to take part in this competition, you know, sometimes our department has won the competition, other times, it’s been other teams pulling in support of other children, but really the cause in itself is just wonderful to be able to make strides in the fight against cancer for these kids,” DeSumma says.

“Curing Kids Cancer” was started by Grainne and Clay Owen in 2005 after they lost their nine-year-old son Killian to leukemia.

“The goal behind the charity is, when Killian was sick, he was in the hospital and doctors told him there were effectively no more treatment options that he could receive, but there was a more advanced version of a drug that he did get to try that was stuck in a lab, and he wasn’t able to get that drug because of a lack of funding. And my parents didn’t want other families to have to experience what we did, being told your child is not going to be able to continue living because of a lack of money,” says Finn Owen, Killian’s brother.

Over two decades later, Owen says other kids with cancer have survived as a result of having access to more effective, less harmful experimental drugs funded through the organization versus only taking traditional chemotherapy treatments.

He says the teams will begin warming up at 9:30 Saturday morning just across from Cantina 76 on Main Street, with the pull beginning at 10 a.m.

“Come cheer on these kids, and these teams that are going to be pulling this fire truck, and it’s gonna be a great time. Would love to see the whole community come out and support.”

Since its inception, “Curing Kids Cancer” has raised over $28 million.