Our People
25 September, 2026
Avoca firefighters rise to stair climb challenge
AVOCA firefighters Jesse Leenaerts and Patrick McKinnis recently took on a gruelling 28-floor Melbourne Firefighter Stair Climb, testing their endurance while raising money for mental health charities.
For Jesse, competing for the first time provided an opportunity to put his training to the test, although he quickly realised he may have started a little too enthusiastically.
“I reckon I went out of the gate a little too quick, on the 12th floor I thought, ‘bloody hell, there's a long way to go.’”
Jesse completed the climb in five minutes and ten seconds, finishing 19th out of 360 competitors in his category.
“That's not bad for a first time. I'm pretty happy with that. It was a good result and a good benchmark for next year.”
For fellow firefighter Patrick McKinnis, the event is one of the highlights of the firefighting calendar.
“It's always an exciting event. For firefighters, it's almost like the grand final for us. It's quite competitive.”
Patrick finished the climb in six minutes and 30 seconds, exceeding his own expectations despite juggling training with starting a small business and a young family.
“I did a lot better than I thought I did. I was pretty happy with anything under eight minutes.”
Patrick said he approached the climb conservatively after jogging the opening floors.
“It can be pretty intense.”
Despite competing against hundreds of other firefighters, Patrick was also keeping an eye on what was happening behind him.
“I could hear someone coming up with a bit of steam and I thought ‘Who's this? I turned around, and it's Jesse. He was on a mission. He did really well.’”
This year, Patrick said his main motivation was not competition or a particular finishing time, but supporting a fellow member of the brigade.
“This year I didn't go in with any expectations. It was about supporting a mate within the brigade. It was a good opportunity to build that bond and that friendship with him.”
Seeing Jesse perform so strongly gave Patrick extra motivation.
“It was really cool to see someone who put in a lot of training for their first time do so well. Seeing him so enthusiastic about it, it gave me a bit of fire in my belly.
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