Firefighters taking on Sky Tower

By Frank Neill

A team of five Wainuiomata volunteer firefighters will take part in this year’s Sky Tower Challenge on 20 May.

The Wainuiomata team is Senior Fire Fighter Darren Page, Qualified Fire Fighter Roger Whioke, Senior Station Officer Tamati Kaa, Fire Fighter Alex Hunt-Painterand Fire Fighter Sean Bates.

They will join fire fighters from throughout New Zealand and overseas in a competition that has the main aim of raising money for Leukaemia and Blood Cancer New Zealand's mission to care and vision to seek a cure.

The Wainuiomata team will climb the 51 flights of stairs at Auckland’s Sky Tower, dressed in full firefighting kit, including breathing apparatus.

This is the same gear fire fighters wear when attending a structural fire.

This kit weighs in at more than 25kg, making the 1,103 steps they must climb up to the observation peak on level 51 of the Sky Tower a gruelling undertaking.

They will be, after all, climbing up the tallest building in the southern hemisphere, which is 328 metres high.

Each participant will be timed, allowing for individual and team results to be determined.

Four members of the Wainuiomata team are new to the Sky Tower Challenge, while Tamati Kaa will be taking part for the fourth time.

Tamati competed in the challenge in 2014, 2015 and 2016, but injured his knee during the 2016 event. He had now largely recovered.

“It’s a tough event,” Tamati says.

Because of that the Wainuiomata teams members are on training regimes, with some members using the stair climbers in gymnasiums and some members walking the Wainuiomata hill.

The team is also considering having a team training exercise, possibly at Wellington’s Majestic Theatre.

Every day eight New Zealanders are diagnosed with blood cancer or a related blood condition.It can affect anyone, at any age and any time in life.

Leukaemia and Blood Cancer New Zealand supports thousands of New Zealanders affected by blood cancer, as well as their families.

In addition, the organisation supports and funds research into better treatments and into finding a cure for blood cancers.

The Firefighter Sky Tower Challenge had already raised around $500,000 when this issue of the “Wainuiomata News” went to print.

Now in its 19th year, the Sky Tower Challenge has raised more than $12 million for blood cancer patients and their families.

It raised $17,500 in its first year – 2005 – and now consistently raises more than $1 million a year.

People wishing to support the Wainuiomata team’s Sky Tower Challenge climb can make a donation at https://firefighterschallenge.org. nz/t/wainuiomatavolunteerfirebrigade or by scanning the QR code.