KEY POINTS:
Fighting fire is all in a day's work for a group of women who have banded together to promote the battle against breast cancer.
Yesterday marked the beginning of Breast Cancer Awareness Month and the launch of a new calendar - featuring female firefighters - looks to boost awareness of the disease.
The calendar, in association with the Fire Service, features women who volunteer at fire brigades throughout the country.
Kym Beggs, of the Breast Cancer Foundation, said that one in nine Kiwi women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime and 600 Kiwi women die of it every year.
She acknowledged many did not want to go in for a mammogram.
"There are lots of theories, such as being too scared to find out the truth, that the mammogram will be painful and it's also not knowing if they're supposed to be going in for a check," she said. "Those are the barriers that we're trying to break down."
The $12 calendar is available by writing to firelady-calendar@hotmail.com.
