The retained firefighter with Fire and Rescue NSW 405 Nowra is part of team ‘Where’s the Lift?’ and will be participating in the Firefighters Climb for Motor Neurone Disease on October 23.

Along with seven colleagues from Ulladulla, Merimbula and Braidwood, Hayley will race to climb all 98 floors of the Sydney Tower Eye.

Just to make it easier they’ll be sporting an additional 20 kilograms of gear.

“I just saw a few Facebook pages of other firefighters and thought that looked liked a good challenge,” she said. 

“It’s a way of giving back to the community.”

The 24-year-old plans on stepping up her training ahead of the event.

“I like to think that I’m pretty fit but I’ll definitely be practising lots of running up stairs in my gear so I can get a taste for what it’ll be like on the day,” she said. 

Pigeon House Mountain in Ulladulla is set to provide a challenge as her and her team members tackle the training climb in weight vests over the coming months.

While she only began her fundraising challenge last week, Hayley has already received almost $500 in donations. 

“Everyone’s been really generous. They’re all pretty impressed and plenty have said ‘better you than me,” she said. 

And as for her game plan on the day?

“I’m just going to go really fast,” Hayley said. 

MND, also known as ALS or Lou Gehrigs Disease is a progressive, terminal neurological disease. It affects the nerve cells controlling the muscles that enable movement, speech, breathing and swallowing. It eventually causes death. 

All funds raised will directly support MND research at the Macquarie University MND Research Centre.

To donate visit https://firefightersclimbformnd.everydayhero.com/au/wheres-the-lift