Firefighter’s giant steps for charity

Upper Hutt’s Craig Dobson is no stranger to donning firefighter breathing apparatus.

As well as volunteering with the Trentham Fire Brigade, Dobson works fulltime as a senior firefighter with the Wellington Airport Fire Service.

But in all his time with both units he’s never taken on a challenge quite like the one he’ll embark on in Auckland next month.

Dobson is taking part in the Firefighter Sky Tower Challenge where firefighters kit up with over 25kg of gear and race up the narrow stairwell of the tower.

And in the process, they raise money for Leukemia and Blood Cancer New Zealand.

Dobson is taking on the challenge as part of the Wellington Airport Fire team along with fellow Trentham volunteer Simon Aarts.

The pair, along with two other team-mates from the Airport Fire unit, have already raised more than $9000 for the cancer charity.

Dobson said he had been training for the challenge by taking on the Stokes Valley steps.

It isn’t the first time he had geared up for the task.

‘‘I started training for it a few years ago but I got crook before the challenge.

‘‘This year I started training around Christmas time. I got serious around then.’’

Dobson said as well as tacking the Stokes Valley stairs he had been hitting the gym.

‘‘ It’s been a bit of cardio, treadmill work and a lot of weights to help build up muscle strength.’’

Dobson said he wasn’t aiming to break any records when he got to the Sky Tower.

‘‘A lot of guys don’t do it for the time. My personal goal is just getting to the top. That’s the main thing for me.’’

To help bring their fundraising total up, the airport team had organised events in the domestic terminal where they would run on a treadmill in their full kit as colleagues touted for donations.

‘‘Some people asked what on earth we were doing.

‘‘They were happy to donate when they found out what it was for.’’

Dobson said his wife would be with him in Auckland to support him too.

‘‘She’s looking forward to Dobson said.

‘‘She might have to carry me home, though.’’

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The 2015 Firefighter Sky Tower Challenge takes place on May 23 in Auckland. Dobson’s fundraising progress can be followed at firefightersclimb.org.nz Trentham volunteer firefighter Craig Dobson has the daunting prospect of the 2015 Firefighter Sky...