Timmering CFA captain Michael Mckinlay gets in some weight training with two-year-old son Bodhi in preparation for Saturday’s climb.
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If there is a connection between the pancake flat roads around Timmering and the 28 floors of Crown Metropol in downtown Melbourne, Michael Mckinlay is hoping he finds it before 8am on Saturday.
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Because that’s when the Timmering CFA captain – wearing/carrying 25kg of turnout gear and breathing apparatus – will set off on the 13 th annual Melbourne Firefighter Stair Climb, along with a small army of fellow firefighters and emergency service personnel.
After watching colleagues from around the region tackle the lungbuster in 2025, the 32-year-old decided he could, and should, give it a go.
Timmering CFA captain Michael Mckinlay with his brigade’s truck – but his assault on the Melbourne Firefighter Stair Climb will be all the old fashioned way – by foot.
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“The only problem is, there just aren’t that many stairs around Timmering – in fact there aren’t any,” Michael said.
“So I have been getting in as much cardio as possible and hope that will hold me together, especially my calves and glutes,” he said.
“When I saw so many others I know having a crack, I thought I could, and should, do it too and with the climb having a target of $1 million, which goes towards cancer research and crisis support, every little bit counts.”
Michael admits he is not a morning person, but for the past two months he has been out most nights pounding those flat Timmering highways and byways to build his cardio reserves.
And as his brigade doesn’t have full structural gear, he will have breathing apparatus as part of his load, but won’t be wearing it, instead it will be strapped to his back.
Saturday’s Melbourne Firefighter Stair Climb will get Timmering CFA captain Michael Mckinlay pretty hot and bothered but probably not quite this hot.
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Michael’s other goal – apart from survival – is to match, or preferably best, the 11 minutes fellow brigade member Rick Wilcock did in 2025 when he was with Bamawm Extension.
“That’s an incentive to haul myself up 28 floors to start my weekend and don’t think I’m not planning ahead – my wife Zoe will be my first responder to get me home and help me hobble from the car to the couch, where I suspect I’ll be for the rest of the weekend, at least,” he laughed.
It’s still not too late to get behind Michael, and all our other firefighters. You can go to https://www.firefighterclimb.org.au/donations/donate/michaelmckinlay and donate – everyone knows someone with cancer and every dollar helps.
