Brigade steps up for annual climb

MEMBERS of the Buninyong-Mount Helen fire brigade are calling out for donations in the leadup to a yearly event aimed at assisting support services for cancer and mental health.

Later in September, nine members will climb28 flights of stairs in full firefighting turnout gear as part of the 10th annual Melbourne Firefighter Stair Climb.

Funds raised for the event will go towards the 000 Foundation, Lifeline, and Peter MacCallum Cancer Foundation.

The brigade has been taking part in the event for more than five years, and Captain Gareth Smith said it’s an especially important event for them this year.

“It’s an event that supports something that impacts many people through mental health, post-traumatic stress injury and depression,” he said.

“We had a very personal experience with them last year where one of our members, Lieutenant Connor Prunty, unfortunately passed away with cancer in November.

“We actually had a lot of support from Peter McCallum Foundation and 000 Foundation at the time. It’s absolutely more personal for us this year.”

The nine participating members are Patrick Cashin, Matthew Cane, Andrew Greig, Samuel Cowan, Brennan Hughes, Callum Parkinson, Mark Cannan, Kim Davies, and Connor’s brother Tom.

Training for the event has been held mainly at the Mount Buninyong fire tower as well as staircases at Federation University’s Mount Helen campus.

Captain Smith said the team is aiming to surpass a $4000 goal, which they’ve not done for the event since 2018.

“We normally raise at least a couple thousand each year,” he said. “This year the minimum target is $4000 and we’re really hoping to beat that given the causes it’s going to.

“They’ll be running up the full flights at Crown Metropol in Melbourne. It’s a fairly intense exercise to do at the best of times because they’ll have their full kit on, even their breathing apparatus.

“We want to get the word out about this not just for the fundraising but also to remove that stigma for people to speak out if they’re struggling.”

The stair climb will take place on Saturday 2 September and to donate to the Buninyong-Mount Helen brigade, visit bit.ly/43z13eL.