Inverclyde crew to climb Ben Nevis in memory of firefighter’s dad

Greenock firefighter, Phil Moir, sadly lost his dad, Peter, in November last year following his MND diagnosis.

Group of firefighters in fire kit and MND Scotland t-shirts standing in front of fire appliance. — (L-R): FF Phil Moir, WC George McCready, CC Jordan Falconer, CC Marc Swan, FF Jamie Cuffe, FF Cassian Kime, FF Craig Evens and at the front is FF David Anderson.

Greenock firefighter Phil Moir will be taking on Scotland’s highest mountain with his colleagues in aid of MND Scotland on Tuesday, 5 May.

Phil’s dad, Peter, was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease (MND) in March 2024 and sadly died in November last year.

The 36-year-old, who has been a firefighter for eight years, will be taking on Ben Nevis alongside his colleagues from Blue Watch at Greenock Fire Station and will complete the climb and the descent wearing full fire kit and breathing apparatus.

Before Peter’s diagnosis, he was a qualified architect and became involved in the design and project management of hospitals around Scotland throughout his career. He also enjoyed spending his spare time scuba diving and discovering shipwrecks, leading to the publication of two books.

Phil said his dad’s diagnosis in March 2024 came as a shock to the family.

"Seeing someone so fit and able to do pretty much anything be brought down so quickly was so unfair."

He said: “We knew something wasn’t right before the diagnosis as he wasn’t able to do a lot of things he loved doing like scuba diving.

“He became tired quickly doing anything around the house which just wasn’t like him.

“When my dad was then diagnosed with MND, it was shock at first.

“The fear of not knowing how long we had left with our dad and never getting to see him again quickly took hold.”

Phil said his health began to affect the family’s life very quickly.

He continued: “My dad’s illness progressed rather quickly in the months after. First his neck muscles started to deteriorate which affected his throat to the point he couldn’t eat or speak anymore.

“He could still text so you could still communicate to a point, but it wasn’t the same.

“Our family isn’t big so we had to be there for each other more than ever, especially for our mum.

“In the last few months he deteriorated even further and ended up mostly in bed.

“This was the hardest part throughout the whole illness - seeing someone so fit and able to do pretty much anything be brought down so quickly was so unfair.”

Picture of a man in a checkered shirt standing with a firefighter in uniform with a fire behind them — Phil with his dad, Peter, at his graduation

Peter sadly died in November 2025.

Since his passing, Phil has decided to climb Ben Nevis to raise money for the charity which helped look after his dad.

He will be taking on the 4,413-foot climb in full PPE and wearing breathing apparatus, alongside his colleagues in his watch from Greenock Community Fire Station.

Phil explained how the idea came about and how he thinks the day will go.

He said: “My watch wanted to do something to help me raise money to give back to those who helped look after my dad.

“I know it’s not going to be easy, especially in full kit.

“In preparation for the climb we have been tackling a few Munros, wearing weighted back packs to simulate the breathing apparatus sets.

“Any training we do in preparation won’t come close to what it’s going to be like going up and down Ben Nevis.”

Over £3,500 has been raised so far ahead of the challenge.

Phil says his dad would be proud of the immense feat he’s taking on.

He said: “I am doing this for my dad and I know he’s going to be with me every step of the way.

“I am sure he would be very proud of me and would think I was crazy for taking on a challenge like this, but knowing the money raised will help others in similar situations will be the driving force for us all.”

Donations can be made via the JustGiving page.