By Laura Michell
Epping firefighter Matt Pollard will push his body to the limit when he scales 28 flights of stairs while wearing 25 kilograms of turnout gear and breathing apparatus in honour of friends who are battling mental health issues.
The volunteer firefighter will join other Epping CFA firefighters at the Melbourne Firefighter Stair Climb on September 1 at the Crown Metropol Hotel.
Mr Pollard said the brigade was tackling the climb for the second year running in honour of a fellow firefighter who took his own life a couple of years ago.
But, on a personal level, he had signed back up in honour of friends.
“I have got some friends who have taken their lives and some friends who today are suffering with severe depression,” Mr Pollard said.
“Everyone is affected by depression and mental health issues, whether it is themselves or a friend, so I want to do what I can to raise awareness.”
Mr Pollard will climb the 28 floors while breathing through an oxygen cylinder.
He said carrying the oxygen would make his journey even more difficult, with the air in the cylinder becoming very dry towards the end of the climb.
To support Mr Pollard, visit www.firefighterclimb.org.au/climber/mattpollard
