Firefighters sizzle for fundraiser

Noosa firefighter Vanessa Madge is in the 2012 Female Firefighters Calendar to raise funds for charity.

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VANESSA Madge is not dampening the flames on this job.

Instead the Noosa firefighter is on fire for a calendar shoot in the name of charity.

It’s the diminutive 38-year-old’s second time as a calendar girl.

And it’s a big change for the woman who became Queensland’s first permanent female firefighter in 1995.

“I like to push boundaries,” Vanessa said.

“I’m five foot two, a size 6 to 8, with long blonde hair, so I don’t fit any firefighter stereotype.”

Vanessa said her favourite work was conducting rescue operations and she loved the energy and excitement she experienced in the job.

But the calendar shoot gave her quite a different opportunity.

“I did it first in 2009,” she said

“And it’s so much fun, putting on make-up, getting your hair done.”

Vanessa is one of 12 full-time female firefighters from Queensland Fire and Rescue Service who have glammed up to appear in the 2012 Female Firefighters Calendar to generate awareness and raise much-needed funds for Queensland Cancer Council for breast cancer research.

The Female Firefighters Calendar 2012 will be available for $10 from Thursday, August 11, at Brisbane RNA Show.

For more information or to reserve a calendar visit www.femalefirefighters.com.au.