A FIREFIGHTER keeps his cool as he scales a mountain in his fire gear.

Rhys Fitzgerald, 28, posed at the summit of Ama Dablam – a 22,000ft mountain in the Himalayas – after finishing a trial run last month.

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He now plans to tackle Mount Everest.

The Welshman is hoping to set a record and become the first person to scale the world’s tallest peak whilst kitted out in the full firefighting clobber.

His challenge, called Project Fire, will raise money for Mind, The Fire Fighters charity and the Nimsdai Foundation.

The foundation works to protect the mountain communities in Nepal.

Rhys said: “After certain calls if things are getting a bit too much, I’ve always gone up to the mountains.

“I’ve used that as a way to decompress, refresh and escape from everything.

“One of the hardest things about being a firefighter is not being able to switch off

“No matter what time of day or whatever situation, you need to be able to switch on straight away and give every call 100 per cent.”