Eight volunteer firefighters from Bairnsdale Fire Brigade joined 650 firefighters and emergency service personnel from all over Australasia to battle it out at the 5th Annual Melbourne Firefighter Stair Climb on Saturday, September 1, 2018.

This year these firefighters “Stepped up to fight Depression, PTSD and Suicide”, raising money to benefit the Black Dog Institute and Lifeline.

“The climb pitted firefighters against each other in a gruelling challenge of fitness and strength,” Lieutenant Les Beechey said.

“We competed wearing 25 kilograms of protective clothing and breathing apparatus, in an event that simulates our actions at a high rise building fire.

“Starting at street level, we raced up the 28 floors of the Crown Metropol Hotel.”

Bairnsdale Brigade member, Amanda Allan, completed the climb so competently that she placed second fastest in the ladies’ open category.

“The Melbourne Firefighter Stair Climb has been a tremendous success, raising in excess of $1.42 million for burns, cancer, children’s health and mental health charities in the last five years,” event director, Steve Axup, said.

“This year our firefighters raised $517,187 to fund research, improve support services, remove stigmas and raise awareness of these pressing mental health issues,” he said.

“The statistics are quite alarming with one in four Australians suffering from a mental illness in their lifetime, eight people a day die by suicide and 10 per cent of emergency services suffering the effects of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).”

Bairnsdale Fire Brigade climbers this year raised a fantastic total of $15,045 through local sponsorship and fund raising events. This total placed them as the third highest brigade on the Melbourne Firefighter Stairclimb fundraising tally board.

“In the past four years that Bairnsdale Fire Brigade has participated in the stairclimb, we have raised over $50,000 for these important charities, and we are all looking forward to the 2019 Stairclimb and raising even more funds,” Les said.

Climbing for Bairnsdale were Sarah van der Velden, Alister Mcdevitte, Todd Hayes, Clinton Pendergast, Les Beechey, Amanda Allan, Ben Trotter and Benjamin Hoffman. Nellie Taylor and Paris Ash were the support crew.

PICTURED: Bairnsdale Fire Brigade’s Sarah van der Velden, Les Beechey, Alister Mcdevitte, Benjamin Hoffman, Amanda Allan, Todd Hayes, Ben Trotter and Clinton Pendergast competed in the 5th Annual Melbourne Firefighter Stair Climb on Saturday, September 1, 2018.