Wintry winds gusting between 40 and 60 miles per hour Sunday didn’t deter eight Oxford firefighters from promoting a healthy lifestyle, engaging in some training and raising money for charity.

Wearing their turnout gear, tools and ropes, and self-contained breathing apparatus – all of which added an extra 50 to 60 pounds to their body weight – each of the firefighters walked up and down the bleacher stairs at Oxford High School’s football stadium 50 times. It was all part of Oxford’s Fight for Air Challenge.

The harsh weather didn’t slow the firefighters down a bit.

“We train in the worst for the worst,” wrote Kevin Snell, the firefighter who organized the event, in an email.

The fund-raising event generated $240 for the American Lung Association.

Firefighter Ryan McLeod, a member of the department since 2010, had the fastest time. He finished the challenge in 22 minutes, 27 seconds.

Climbing with McLeod were fellow department members Lt. B.J. Frantz, Ricky Dvorak, Kohli Johnson, Sean Corbitt and Snell along with recruits Hunter Marion and Chris Scheer.

“Many people participate in this event to promote healthy living or because they know someone with a lung disease or they (want to) relate to the (New York City firefighters) who died climbing the stairs at the (World Trade Center) on (Sept. 11, 2001),” Snell wrote.

Because firefighting is a such physically-demanding job, Snell explained it’s important for members of the fire service to keep themselves as healthy and fit as possible.

“Cardiac arrest is the leading cause of . . . duty-related deaths in the fire service, so it is imperative that firefighters train accordingly,” he wrote.