Firefighter in Charity Calendar Opens Up About His Smoking Photoshoot and Working with Exotic Animals (Exclusive)

The 2025 Australian Firefighters Calendar will support relief efforts for those affected by Hurricanes Milton and Helene

The Australian Firefighters Calendar is heating up this year — all thanks to the brave souls who helped bring it to life.

Chesapeake, Va., firefighter Alijah Johnson, 27, tells PEOPLE that modeling for the calendar — which benefits relief efforts for those affected by Hurricanes Milton and Helene — included everything from grappling with “vicious monkeys” to playing with fire.

Growing up with a police chief mother, Johnson says he was inspired to become a firefighter to help others and make their "worst day better."

He notes that he used to laugh off people who asked him if he “was one of those firefighters" in the calendars. However, after his friends told him he would be a great fit, he decided to embrace the new path and applied for the Australian Firefighters Calendar.

Johnson recalls that calendar director David Rogers responded to his application within hours.

“He was like, ‘Hey mate, we love the way that you look,’” says the firefighter, who was one of two Americans flown to Australia for the shoot. “It happened very fast.”

Johnson was booked and busy in Australia, waking at 6 a.m. local time and shooting until 4 p.m. for five days.

He notes that they shot with horses one day and posed with native animals like koalas and meerkats the next. Ultimately, the inclusion of the animals made the shoot get a little chaotic, he recalls.

“Monkeys (were) jumping on top of my head,” Johnson shares. “Apparently, these were very vicious monkeys, and you couldn’t look them in the eye, they’ll tear your face off.”

Luckily for him, next were shoots with farm animals — llamas, pigs and sheep — as well as cats and dogs.

Johnson says playing with “animals that you’ve never seen in real life but you’ve seen on a television” was “pretty cute.”

His final day of work was dedicated to the “hero” calendar, which sought to capture his daily heroism through staged shoots.

“We just played with fire,” Johnson says. “We would pour gasoline everywhere and step into the fire, or they would throw fire against the wall and make this big explosion.”

After the eventful shoot, Johnson says the firefighters have kept in touch. According to him, they comment on each others’ Instagram posts and even met up at CatCon in Los Angeles to promote their calendar.

“(I'm) extremely grateful and blessed … to shoot not only just for a firefighters calendar but for the world’s biggest firefighters calendar,” Johnson notes.

Johnson is the first Black firefighter featured in the calendar. “It’s a chance to show others you can break barriers, represent your community and be a part of a good cause on a global scale,” he says of the milestone.

Since 1993, the Australian Firefighters Calendar has raised over $3.45M. The 2025 calendar partnered with Greater Good Charities to provide donations for medical assistance, food and shelter for rebuilding efforts for American citizens and animals affected by Hurricanes Milton and Helene.

Johnson notes that this cause shows him “how much respect Australia has for America" and the mutual support the countries share after the U.S. helped Australia during its devastating 2019-20 wildfire season.

Support will also go towards Australian organizations — the Byron Bay Wildlife Hospital, Safe Haven Animal Rescue, Rural Fire Service and Kids With Cancer Foundation.

Check out the 2025 Australian Firefighters Calendar’s five editions on Amazon or their official website.