Australian firefighter Ricky Smith chatted with #Powerjournalist Markos Papadatos about the recent Bondi Beach shooting, as well as the 2026 Australian Firefighters Calendar.
“I’m on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, so I’m about an hour north of Brisbane,” he said.
Bondi Beach shooting
“It was very shocking,” Smith said about the Bondi Beach massacre. “It was a big surprise. It was pretty devastating. I’ve got some friends that are Bondi lifeguards, so it was amazing to see what they did and how they stepped in.”
“It was amazing to see how the community stepped up. It was definitely a tragedy,” Smith acknowledged.
“I think the best way for people to help at the moment is just to support each other and they’re also saying about giving blood, but they need a lot of blood donations at the moment,” Smith elaborated
“So, a lot of people going down and becoming blood donors or giving blood to support those that need a lot of blood. So, yeah, that’s a really big way you can help at the moment,” he added.
Australian Firefighters Calendar
The Australian Firefighters Calendar is a proud Australian owned and operated company. Although they are not a charity, the public’s support of their brand has helped them donate $3.5 million to both animals and people in need since 1993.
On being a part of the 2026 Australian Firefighters Calendar, Smith said, “It feels amazing. It’s great! It always feel good to be a part of. It was a great bunch of guys again. It has been really fun. We’ve had some trips out of it. So, the calendar has been yet another wonderful success.”
“In doing this calendar once again, we’ve managed to help a lot of charities this year, so that always feels really good,” he exclaimed. “This is my fifth year as a firefighter and I’ve been firefighting for 10 (almost) years. The years go by so quickly.”
Regarding his daily motivations, he said, “I think just getting up, enjoying what you do, enjoying the work, being able to know that you’re going to be able to help people, going to work to help people and just enjoying what you do.”
“Firefighting is fun,” Smith admitted. “You get to work with a good bunch of guys every day. It’s different. So, it’s never stagnant or stale and you get to help people along the way.”
On his overseas trips with the calendar, he said, “They were amazing! It’s good to see the charities that we support firsthand. We always go overseas and support some charities. So to see some money handed over and where that goes to is, it just adds another level. It’s absolutely amazing.”
Future plans
Regarding his future plans, he shared, “To just keep firefighting, and to keep enjoying life. I’ve just signed up to do some tech rescue at work, which means sort of like swift water rescues and vertical rescues. So, I might need to take a course in March to become swift water rescue qualified. I’m looking forward to that.”
“Technical rescue encompasses swift water rescue, vertical rescue, urban search and rescue and sort of confined space rescue. It’s just a few more specialized courses and things you can do on the truck, which is cool,” he said.
“I’m just going down that path, I’m just upskilling, and really learning. So that’s the plans for the future at the moment,” he noted.
Stage of his life
On the title of the current chapter of his life, Smith revealed, “The Next Phase.”
“I’m getting to that age where things are changing,” he said. “I’ve got a partner now and I’m sort of settling down a bit more and just enjoying that phase of life. I’m getting older, but enjoying that phase,” he explained.
Success
On his definition of the word success, Smith said, “Success means just being happy. I think as long as you’re enjoying life to the fullest every day and as long as everyone’s happy, you’re happy and you’re having fun, I think that’s success.”
Message for fans and supporters of the Australian Firefighters Calendar
For fans and supporters, Smith said about the Australian Firefighters Calendar, “Thanks so much! It’s amazing the support that we get. It’s amazing that everyone gets behind it and charities are helping as well. It’s amazing. We always really, really appreciate it.”
“The fans can get to look at some amazing animals,” he exclaimed. “They also get to look at some good-looking firefighters, so I hope they enjoy that, but I hope what they get out of it is that they’re making a difference.”
“The money that they pay for the calendar also goes to charities, so it’s nice for them to know that they’re making a difference in the world as well and helping out lots of people and lots of animals,” Smith concluded.
To learn more about Ricky Smith, follow him on Instagram.
For more information on the 2026 Australian Firefighters Calendar, visit its official website, and follow its Instagram page.
