Photo: (back left to right) Andrew Smith, Vicki White, Yiota Carabourniotis, (front left) Paul Scott and (front right) Rochelle Poulton
Hillcrest Fire Brigade is climbing 28 floors of Crown Metropol Hotel in September to raise money and awareness for mental health issues, as part of the Melbourne Firefighter Stair Climb.
A team of five Hillcrest volunteer firefighters will put on 25kgs of turnout and Breathing Apparatus gear to scale stairs in Melbourne on 10 September.
This will be the sixth Melbourne Firefighter Stair Climb for the brigade and having already raised more than $8500 over the last five years, they're eyeing off $10,000 total by the time they get to the top of the staircase next month.
Lieutenant Rochelle Poulton has been a participant for the last five years and strongly believes in the need for mental health and wellbeing support and can't wait to step up again this year for the cause with her brigade.
"I'm fortunate enough to have a great support network around me," she said.
"I strongly believe in mental health and watching the transformation in how we approach it the last few years has been an experience itself.
"The more we climb the more we grow."
Rochelle will be climbing alongside Vicki White, Yiota Carabourniotis, Paul Scott and Andrew Smith from the Hillcrest Fire Brigade.
More than 600 firefighters and emergency services personnel are expected to take part in the stair climb challenge.
To make a donation and support the Hillcrest Fire Brigade's fundraising efforts for the Melbourne Firefighter Stair Climb, visit www.firefighterclimb.org.au/station/cfa/hillcrest/.
