Salamander Bay firefighter Brooke Doran is no stranger to pushing her body to the limits but her next challenge, the Melbourne Firefighter Stair Climb, may be one of her greatest undertakings yet.
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In September, Doran will climb 28 floors of a Melbourne hotel wearing more than 25 kilograms of firefighting gear to help shine a light on a cause close to her heart - mental health, particularly in the emergency services.
Having spent 16 years in the Rural Fire Service and worked three years with Fire and Rescue NSW, Doran has seen her fair share of emergencies.
What the Salamander Bay firefighter and mother has also seen is the mental health effects those emergencies have had on her colleagues and friends, which is why she wanted to do her part in raising awareness and funds to fight depression, post traumatic stress injuries and suicide rates among first responders.
To that end, she will take on the Melbourne Firefighter Stair Climb on September 7.
"My aim is to raise awareness about the shocking statistics within the emergency services," Doran said.
"Every six weeks a person in the emergency services is diagnosed with depression or another mental illness.
"I'm doing this to hopefully start some conversations, to say it's okay to not be okay. We often put everyone else's needs above ours but we have to learn to rescue ourselves."
A fitness and health conscious person, Doran spends plenty of time in the gym.
But she is now there six days a week training for the climb, which will see her trek up the 28 floors of the Crown Metropol Hotel wearing more than 25 kilograms of firefighting gear, including an air tank.
"Salamander iGym have been nothing but supportive since I told them what I'm doing," Doran said.
"I'm on the stairs almost every day. I'll do a run through with all the gear a few weeks out.
"I'm really looking forward to it but I know it's going to be hard."
For more information on the climb or to donate to the cause go to: firefighterclimb.org.au.