Climbing to new heights

By Lachlan Ellis

Local firefighters have raised thousands of dollars for some fantastic causes, by climbing 28 floors in their full kit.

Eleven firefighters from the Bacchus Marsh Fire Brigade headed up the stairs at the Crown Metropol on Saturday 2 September, each wearing 25 kilos of gear, for the annual Melbourne Firefighter Stair Climb.

Taking part to raise funds for the fight against cancer, depression, and suicide, this year’s team was the biggest the Brigade had ever assembled for the event.

And just as the team was of record size, so too was the tally raised, with a total of $8,084 donated.

Community Safety Manager Chris Small said the herculean task was more than worth it – and the stair climb was nothing compared to what people battling cancer and depression were going through.

“We’d all done a significant amount of preparation for it, but walking up the 1000+ Steps at Darley is miles apart from what it was like climbing the steps at the Metropol. We all made it, some in better shape at the top that others,” Mr Small told the Moorabool News.

“You don’t realise the gravity of it until you do it, you get to the seventh floor and go ‘I must be near the top’, then you realise you’re not even close. But you know, understanding what we’re supporting, like Lifeline and the 000 Foundation, it’s a very small level of discomfort for us, when you think about what the people using those resources and support services are going through.”

This was the fourth year the Bacchus Marsh Fire Brigade has taken part in the Stair Climb, and Mr Small said they plan to participate again next year.

“The fundraising tally sets a benchmark for us for next year now, we’re all really committed to doing the Stair Climb again in 2024,” he said.