By Eleanor Wilson
The Melbourne Firefighter Stair Climb was back in full force on Saturday 10 September, as fire crews from across the state stepped up to fight depression, suicide and post-traumatic stress injury.
Several South Eastern crews took on the daunting climb, which saw firies conquer 28 floors of the Crown Metropol Tower, in 25 kilograms of kit, including heavy duty uniform and a breathing apparatus.
Among those participating were Berwick CFA, Narre Warren CFA and Narre Warren North CFA, who each raised several thousand dollars for mental health organisations LifeLine, Fortem and 000 Foundation.
Narre Warren CFA senior firefighter Tony Bundock, who marked his fourth climb on the weekend, said it is the most physically demanding fundraiser he’s been part of.
“It’s a grind from the start to the finish, but you just have to get to the top,” he said.
The ninth annual climb saw 600 firefighters and emergency service personnel climb to raise over $525,000.
Mr Bundock said the cause is particularly relevant for emergency services personnel.
“We go to hundreds of fire calls a year ranging from the inevitable cat up a tree, to incredibly horrific scenes and you don’t know what the long term effects of dealing with those events will be,” he said.
“You have to look at that in terms of your capacity to deal with these issues, so keeping strong mental health and agility is important.”
Alongside platforming mental health, the climb commemorated the 343 firefighters who lost their lives in the line of duty during the September 11 New York terror attacks, with each participant’s race bib including a photo and name of one of the victims.
“We’re doing [the climb] for a cause, but those guys had no choice, they just had to go up and do their job and unfortunately they didn’t come back down,” Mr Bundock said.
“It’s quite confronting to think the people who do the same work as you do can just be wiped out like that…so we do always remember them.”
