Five members of the Toorloo Arm Fire Brigade have successfully completed the 13th Annual Melbourne Firefighter Stair Climb, conquering 28 floors while raising thousands of dollars for emergency service and health charities.
Brigade Captain Melissa Zagami, alongside Dino Zagami, Mandy Walker, Nick Bain and Sam Ditchburn, joined firefighters from across the nation to tackle the gruelling ascent in full structural firefighting gear.
For the local team, the grueling climb was about supporting vital causes rather than chasing finish times.
“Every one of those 28 floors represented something much bigger than the climb itself,” Toorloo Arm Fire Brigade Captain Mel Zagami said.
“We climbed to support the incredible organisations that are there for people and families during some of the hardest moments of their lives — the Peter MacCallum Cancer Foundation, Lifeline, and the 000Foundation.”
Backed by local families, friends, fellow brigade members, and the wider East Gippsland community, the Toorloo Arm team raised $5780 for the cause. Statewide, the event generated more than $1.1 million for cancer research and crisis support services.
“Every donation, every message, every share, every word of encouragement and every person who got behind us helped us up those stairs,” Ms Zagami said.
“The stairs were tough. The gear was heavy. The legs definitely knew about it afterwards. But knowing who we were climbing for, and knowing how many people were standing behind us, made every single step worthwhile.”
