Wall calendars tend to feature landscapes, famous photographs of bands on tour, or buildings from your college because they sent you a calendar for free. Once again, France does it better.
The Pompiers Sans Frontieres 2017 wall calendar sets fire to Christmas stockings everywhere, full of pictures of gorgeous firemen working out, riding a boat, and even, yes, putting out fires. We promise getting this gift for someone won’t seem creepy or weird, because these aren’t just any firemen. They’re volunteer firemen.
Pompiers Sans Frontieres (firemen without borders) is a French NGO, started in 1991 as humanitarian aid group. The group was founded after Serge Montesinos, a French firefighter, witnessed a devastating bus crash in Peru, and saw that no firefighters ever came to the scene.
They dispatch to disaster zones for emergency response, rebuilding, and risk-reduction work through means like education, technology, and community reinforcement. After an earthquake (one of their most common disaster missions) they might bring supplies, clear out rubble, aid the injured, help to plan more durable structures, rebuild, and educate a community on disaster prevention and response. Over the past 25 years, they’ve dispatched to 35 different countries on over 400 missions.
And now, they’re contributing to the world’s well-being once more, by putting out their second Pompiers Sans Frontieres calendar. With photographer Fred Goudan, the firemen (yes, the men in the pics are real firemen, not models) stripped down to minimum coverage for 17 high-quality art portraits. The proceeds from the calendar go directly back to Pompiers Sans Frontieres and its subgroup, IRPGR which studies risk assessment and prevention. Early sales from last year’s calendar helped finance a Pompiers Sans Frontieres mission in south Lebanon, in an area plagued by forest fires and an underwhelming number of poorly equipped firefighters. Pompiers Sans Frontieres taught a week of fire prevention, response, and fighting, and ended the week with a simulation exercise that included fighting a real fire.
All this goes to say, your purchase of a sexy volunteer fireman calendar really can make a difference. Buy it here for 19€95.
All images are courtesy of the Pompiers Sans Frontières.
