First responders carried bags full of gear to the entrance of Hop Mountain Taproom and Grill in Mead on Monday and left them outside the front doors. They were waiting for their turn on the stair climbers. Four people were going at a time. Community members were packing the restaurant. Why were they climbing?
Spokane County Fire District 9 and its union, Local 2916, had organized a stair climb fundraiser to raise money for Spokane County Deputy Mason Acheson and Deputy Parker Perry.
Acheson and Perry both died from injuries sustained while responding to a domestic violence shooting in Spangle on November 3, 2026. They’re both survived by their young children and wives.
Local first responders were quick to take any opportunity to help these two families, said Local 2916 spokesman Robert Gray.
“They haven’t stopped moving,” Gray said. “As soon as somebody jumps off, somebody else jumps on. It’s really great to see the community go together. It’s not about any one organization. It’s about supporting the families during this time.”
Gray described how two Spokane SWAT officers got on the stair climbers with full gear and face masks. He said it’s far from easy – but that it’s worth it.
“Wearing gear, I mean anybody can walk up a flight of stairs, but between law enforcement and our personnel strapping on an extra 40 to 50 pounds – I mean it's hard work,” Gray said. “So it’s our way of doing something hard, because what the deputies did that day is the hardest thing imaginable.”
Nic Pluskota, a fire paramedic with Fire District 9, was walking around the restaurant coordinating who was going to join in on the climb. He said the idea formed just a couple days before the event while he was thinking about what he could do to help out.
“I think this is just something that shook our community all the way through,” Pluskota said. “Especially our brothers and sisters in blue, they’re a part of our family as well.”
He said he was surprised by how many people showed up.
“I thought this was going to be something that was kind of small and we’re now dragging in more stair climbers,” Pluskota said.
The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) is coordinating donated funds for Acheson and Perry’s families, which is where Fire District 9’s donations are going, said Gray.
In eight hours, the event raised $27,551 for the Sheriff’s Office memorial fund, according to a Fire District 9 Facebook post, and about 90% of what they were hoping for.
Members of the public can also make a donation at any Canopy Credit Union branch by asking for the SCSO memorial fund. A check can also be dropped off at the Spokane Valley Police Department or Spokane County Sheriff’s Office.
