Former Black Fern Rochelle Martin is the Onehunga Senior Fire Station officer and is starring on the cover of the 2018 Womens Firefighters Calendar. / Video by Greg Bowker
Firefighters to drop ‘strip’ calendars in favour of family-friendly look.
Former Black Fern Rochelle Martin is among firefighters stripping off for an annual charity calendar - but it is expected to be the last time they bare all.
The rugby star turned senior station officer at Onehunga Fire Station donned a sports bra on the cover of the 2018 women's NZ Firefighters Calendar, which has hit shelves alongside the men's edition.
And after 27 years of the men's calendar and six years of the women's – which have raised almost $1 million for the Child Cancer Foundation - this could be the last time we see so much of the firefighters, with plans to change the calendar to a more family-friendly product featuring children with cancer alongside clothed fire crews.
"I'm sure there will be some folk out there who will be disappointed they are losing the bare-chested boys that they often get or have done in the past," said Martin.
"But I think it's a great opportunity to change and show firefighters in other ways."
The 44-year-old, who was the first Kiwi woman to become a senior station officer, said the new format would show being a firefighter was not just about getting sweaty and running into a burning building.
"We go to fires but we also go to medical calls and car accidents and hazardous substances jobs and things like that.
Rochelle Martin is the cover girl of the 2018 female NZ Firefighters Calendar. Photo / Bex Charteris Photography
This was the first time Martin has featured in the calendar since joining the fire service in 2001, after injuring herself playing professional rugby.
"It's something I've never really been comfortable with and never really, to be honest, wanted to do," she said.
"It's a really interesting time in society around the sexualisation of women and bodies and stuff so ... I did consider whether doing it was tasteful or not and whether it was appropriate or not.
"I kind of weighed it all up and thought, well I go to the gym, I work out in a crop top and shorts. If it was more revealing or anything like that then I wouldn't have [done the calendar]."
The photo shoot for the 2018 calendars tied in with a fat-loss competition Martin was doing at the gym.
"So I was actually in pretty good shape," she said.
"Besides the fact of [the Child Cancer Foundation] being an incredible group to be fundraising for, I've got three children myself and I couldn't imagine having to go through what some families have to go through with their kids [who have cancer].
"So from that angle it was a no-brainer but it's always hard to put yourself out there when it comes to baring a bit of flesh."
Martin said although she probably wouldn't strip down again for the calendar, she would consider taking part in the new family-friendly edition.
Firefighter and production manager of the calendar Tony Scott said the change in content was a result of Fire and Emergency New Zealand wanting to become more community and family focused.
He said although the change might not appeal to everybody, he believed the calendars would still sell well.
The price of the calendar was also set to change from $10 to $15 in 2019. It would mean $2 from every calendar was donated to the Child Cancer Foundation, instead of $1.
