Australian Firefighters Team Up With Animals To Help Good Causes

Koalas, kittens, puppies, shirtless firefighters. It’s the classic combination from the Australian Firefighters Calendar that’s heated up the walls of homes around the world and helped charities for 31 years. Yes, the iconic calendars are back and the firefighters have returned for another year of “turning up the heat” and posing with cats, dogs, horses and wild animals from down under to help raise money for numerous charities.

The annual photoshoot brings Australia’s favorite heroes and animals together for a series of monthly images. Below are a selection of the images appearing in the calendars.

The 2024 calendars deliver the same winning combination of firefighters and animals as in previous years except this year the Aussie firefighters are joined by a few visiting American and Canadian firefighters.

Jacob Hacker, a firefighter from Ohio, was thrilled to participate. In fact, he contacted them.

“One of my goals was before the age of 30 I wanted to be in the Australian Firefighters Calendar. When I was younger in my fire and medic career it began as a joke because I felt like I could never be physically capable or fit enough to be one of those men you see in the calendar,” Jacob said. ”

After 10 years of hard work and dedication I reached out to the Australian Firefighters Calendar, to my surprise they were impressed by my journey and wanted me to partake in their calendar. This was a dream come true and one of the greatest honours of my life to be an American featured into an Australian Firefighters calendar for a good cause.”

Caden Troy, a 27-year-old firefighter/paramedic from St. Lucie County Fire District said, “I had the opportunity to interact with the numerous charities and foundations that the calendar benefits and learn of the importance of conservation efforts in order to protect our wildlife and environment.”

“We live on one shared planet and this is a message I am more than happy to take back to the States and share with my audience. And oh yeah, I almost forgot…ripped Firefighters with adorable animals. I think people might enjoy that as well,” Caden continued.

Steven Giannopolous, a firefighter from Canada said, “Firefighting was my dream as a little boy. I remember playing with all my little fire truck toys pretending to respond to emergencies and being fascinated every time I saw a real-life fire truck ripping to calls. As I grew up, I realized that it’s not superheroes that are doing this job but actual people. From That moment on I knew firefighting was what I wanted to do!”

“I applied and went through all the rigorous tests and had the opportunity to become a firefighter at a really young age,” continued Steven. “It’s been 9 years now and I haven’t looked back. One of the most dynamic and demanding jobs but also the most rewarding being able to serve your community and help people on the worst days of their lives.”

Each month of the 6 different calendar editions reveals a different firefighter and their heart-warming bond with some of Australia’s most adorable animals. From cuddly koalas to playful kittens, these visuals capture the compassion that these firefighters stand for both in and out of uniform.

Some of the charities that will be recipients of funds raised are The Queensland Koala Society which helps sick and injured koalas and gets them back into their natural habitat.

Since its launch in 1993, the calendar has donated over 3.4 million dollars to charities across Australia. The calendar’s proud history of supporting animal refuges and Australian wildlife in the past, will continue into the future. Australia’s rural firefighters and children suffering from cancer will also once again benefit from donations. There will also be several North American charities included.