RUNNING the brutal flight of stairs leading up to Centenary Tower can be a mental battle on a good day – imagine the same climb wearing 25kg of firefighting gear and spare a thought for six local firefighters who have been doing exactly that.
Six members of the Compton Brigade Country Fire Service have climbed the stairs in full structural protective equipment every week this month as they prepare for the fourth annual Melbourne Firefighter Stair Climb.
The crew will race up a gruelling 28 floors at Melbourne’s Crown Metropol Hotel in September to raise money for PTSD, depression and suicide prevention services.
Compton Brigade captain Mat Williamson said raising awareness of mental health issues was a cause close to his heart.
“Unfortunately a friend of mine in the fire service killed himself two years ago – it still upsets me quite a bit and it’s hard to deal with,” Mr Williamson said.
“The worst part was no one knew he was struggling and it just happened, he didn’t show up to work one day and a few members of his crew found him.
“I guess that was a catalyst for me in wanting to get involved and do something about it because suicide is very prevalent at the moment and a lot of PTSD matters are coming up in the emergency services now days.”
The Firefighter’s Charity Fund aims to raise $500,000 through this year’s event for national suicide prevention service Lifeline and mental health research organisation the Black Dog Institute.
“Experiencing PTSD and reliving things, waking up with nightmares and struggling with depression has become very prevalent in the police force, fire service and ambulance service,” Mr Williamson said.
“It’s a big concern for all those groups and this event is one way to combat the issue by raising awareness and raising funds for research and support services.
“Our own agencies have systems in place and on call counsellors we can talk to anytime but it’s important to remove stigma.”
Mr Williamson spoke to The Border Watch this week during a training run at Apartments on the Lakes, the city’s only multi-storey building.
“The guys have been training around the Crater Lake – that set of stairs near the tower is a killer,” he said.
“They’ve been doing that at least twice, sometimes three times a week but this is our first run in the apartment building.”
The event simulates the actions of a firefighter entering a burning high rise building, wearing full structural personal protective equipment and breathing apparatus.
“It all weighs around 25kg so it’s not the lightest stuff around and it will be a fair challenge,” Mr Williamson said.
“I know some of the guys are concerned about being able to make 28 floors, the main thing is just to pace ourselves.
“We might not run every floor but if we maintain a brisk, steady pace we will make it to the top.”
