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LIKE any firefighter, Nathan Rogers is used to being physically and mentally tested.
But arguably no challenge prepared him quite so well for donning 25 kilograms of turnout gear and breathing apparatus to dash up 28 floors of a hotel.
The Eaglehawk CFA volunteer was one of 266 firefighters to take part in this month's Melbourne Firefighter Stair Climb in Melbourne.
It involved a trek to the top of the Crown Metropol Hotel involving 476 steps.
While Mr Rogers freely admitted he fell a little short of his target time in reaching the finish line in exactly 10 minutes, said the opportunity to participate was reward enough.
His input was certainly felt in the hefty $251,296 raised by the event for the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre.
Mr Rogers' $1945 fundraising total was the 14th highest among participants.
"To be part of something like that is simply rewarding as people and communities continually give and support fire and emergncy service personnel, especially volunteers, so often without question," he said.
"To be able to give back to people, not just in my community, but possibly Australia-wide is just absolutely massive and gives me a sense of pride and achievement.
"(It also) gives me a confdence boost and motivation to do more in my community to give back."
Asked if he would take part again, Mr Rogers, a 15-year volunteer, said: "Most certainly".
"It's a great cause and and a great experience - and most of all a great mental and physical challenge," he said.
Mr Rogers spent the months before the climb training at Anytime Fitness in Kangaroo Flat.
He said the stair climb was a "test of a lot of things" and quite deceiving.
"You are not always where you think you are in terms of what floor or level you are actually at," he said.
"From memory at one stage I thought I was at the half way mark, when I was actually about three floors below that.
"So, your motivation and determination is tested and you start to question whether you can continue."
He likened doing the climb while dressed in firefighter gear and breathing apparatus to being in a sauna.
But the feeling of pressure and exhaustion was quickly overridden by the feeling of accomplishment on reaching the finish line.
The run was preceded by a short remembrance service to remember and reflect on the lives of the 343 firefighters who lost their lives during the September 2001 terrorist attacks.