There might not be a fire at the top of the Sydney Tower Eye when five heroes in overalls take on its 1504 steps, but they're still running for a cause close to their hearts - helping to find a cure for a Motor Neurone Disease (MND).

The team from ACT Fire & Rescue will join about 300 firefighters from around Australia on October 23 in climbing the tower's 98 storeys while fully geared with 20kg on their backs, in an effort to raise money for MND, which has affected current and past local firefighters.

MND is a progressive, terminal neurological disease in which the nerve cells that control the muscles involved in speaking, breathing and swallowing deteriorate and die.

Two Australian lives are lost everyday from the disease, which has a life expectancy of 2.5 years and has no known cure or effective treatment.

Senior firefighter Matt Buchtmann said ACT Fire and Rescue has lost firefighters to MND and has several firefighters whose parents have died or are currently suffering from the disease.

"I know that I have family members in the past who had it, who passed away before I knew them," he said.

"MND for me is very relevant because today I can be running up stairs, the next day I might be hit by MND and not be able to do it ever again. Nobody knows how it starts and we have to find a way to cure it."

All donations made towards the challenge will support MND research at the Macquarie University MND Research Centre.

The team has already raised more than $2000 for the cause, and Mr Buchtmann has been auctioning off firefighter helmets decorated in a range of designs by past firefighters, with one alone raising about $400 for MND research.

And with the keen tower-climber previously coming 16th out of about 800 firefighters who took part in a similar event in New Zealand in support of Leukemia, Mr Buchtmann is confident his team will make the capital proud in Sydney.

But first they have a lot of training to get through, which involves many tiring laps up and down the some 100 steps at the Emergency Services Training Centre tower in Hume.

ACT Fire & Rescue officer, Station officer Paul McLucas, said the team will be motivated by the fact that the under-reported issue of MND affects many people in the community.

"Not wanting to let those people down, and not wanting to let our mates down, is enough for us to get up in the morning and start training," he said.

To donate to the cause, visit firefightersclimbformnd.everydayhero.com/au/donatenow