Australian firefighter Jimmy Morris chatted with #Powerjournalist Markos Papadatos about being a part of the 2026 Australian Firefighters Calendar, which raises money for various charities.
American track and field running legend Steve Prefontaine once said: “To give anything less than your best, is to sacrifice the gift.” This quote applies to Jimmy Morris.
Background on the Australian Firefighters Calendar
The Australian Firefighters Calendar is a proud Australian-owned and operated company. Although they are not a charity per se, they have manged to donate over $3.5 million to both animals and humans in need since 1993.
Morris on the 2026 Australian Firefighters Calendar
On being a part of the 2025 Australian Firefighters Calendar, Morris exclaimed, “It has been amazing! It is such a good experience. The guys are incredible, especially everyone that we train with and work with. I’ve already had some really cool experiences over in the U.S. and I am looking forward to many more to come. I can’t wait!”
Morris’ leading man looks are reminiscent of Dan Reynolds of Imagine Dragons meets Aaron Eckhart meets Ryan McPartlin, and that ought to be taken as a compliment.
Importance of these philanthropic causes
Morris spoke about the importance of all these philanthropic causes and charitable organization that the Australian Firefighters Calendar supports. “We support some really, really good charities that help out communities, animals, and all sorts of things,” he said.
“The Australian Firefighters Calendar has gained popularity massively over the last few years,” he observed. “The money that the calendar is putting towards these charities is really helping them out and knowing that is such a good feeling.”
“Not only do I love the work and the lads that I’m working with, but I love the fact that it’s there to help people and create a better world, essentially,” he said.
Daily motivations as a firefighter
Regarding his daily motivations as a firefighter, he stated, “My main motivation is helping people.”
“I’ve had many careers in my lifetime such as commercial diving, concreting, building, and working at bars. I’ve done everything,” he said.
Been lost at sea inspired him to become a firefighter
On his aha! moment to become a firefighter, Morris shared, “Most recently, I was a commercial diver, and I got lost at sea with another guy; we were lost at sea for two nights,” he revealed. “It was actually an eye-opener for me. It really shaped me and shaped my career, essentially, because this guy really relied on me to help him and save him.”
Morris continued, “Through a few of the things that I did and the actions that I took, we ended up getting rescued. So that was the moment I realized that I really liked helping people in heavy situations.”
“So, that’s what inspired me to become a firefighter because I love helping people in my community. So far, it has been everything that I’ve wanted,” he expressed.
Morris revealed that he “fairly new” to the firefighting profession. “I’ve been doing it for just under two years,” he said. “So, I got hit up for the calendar in my first four months of working on the job, which was a big surprise for me.”
“A lot of my friends said, ‘you’re just going for the job to get into the calendar,’ and they made jokes about it, but that was not the reason at all I’m doing this. I’m in the firefighting profession to help people.”
Working with exotic animals for the Australian Firefighters Calendar
For this Australian Firefighters Calendar, he shared that he worked with a couple of exotic animals, which included koalas and “dingoes,” which are the native Australian dogs, as well as horses, puppies, and kittens.
“The koalas are very cute and cuddly, but they’ve got massive claws,” he admitted. “So, they actually do hurt a lot when you’re cuddling them because they latch on because they’re used to climbing trees.”
Morris on the firefighting brotherhood
On the firefighting brotherhood, he remarked, “Well, we’re all firefighters, so most firefighters are disciplined, and very good blokes and we all have a lot of common interests. I was a bit worried about that when I first started because the firefighters were from all over Australia and they were all different age groups, and I wasn’t sure what it was going to be like, but honestly, we became best mates straight away.”
“As soon as we started traveling, we just all hit it off and everyone got along so well and I think that’s what makes Dave so successful in what he does because he is such a good judge of character and he can really read people and if someone’s a bad egg or doesn’t fit in, he’ll notice that straight away,” Morris elaborated.
“So far, it has been amazing,” he said about the brotherhood.
Working with David Rogers
On working with David Rogers, the director of the Australian Firefighters Calendar, Morris said, “Davis is a great man. He is a very strong character, and I get along very well with him. We’re actually very similar in many ways. So, he’s a great man. He has given me a good opportunity, and he has created an amazing business, and he helps a lot of charities, and he has done a very good job.”
Morris on Firefighter Mickey Galanos
Morris has great words about Greek-Australian firefighter Michael “Micky” Galanos. “Mickey is a lot of fun; he’s a legend. I was actually in America with Mickey. When I first met him, he was a bit quiet, and I wasn’t sure, but at the same time, once he comes out, he is very extroverted. So, Mickey is a lot of fun, and he’s a good lad.”
Career-defining moments
Regarding his career-defining moments, he shared, “Obviously, with the boat sinking and getting lost at sea, that was a big moment in my life that shaped me a little bit. I’ve also gained a lot of experience through traveling, life and work, and that led to me to where I am now and what I’m doing, and I just couldn’t be happier.”
Future plans
On his future plans, he stated, “To just keep on working on what I’m doing. Working with the firefighter calendar, working on the job. Yeah, just keep working on my passions, and my skills, and everything I love doing on the side as well. I do a lot of surfing, fishing, and training.”
Stage of his life
On the title of the current chapter of his life, Morris revealed, “Mindfulness.”
“I don’t really have a title, to be honest,” he said. “I am just trying to live every day as it comes, and enjoy the moment,” he explained.
Superpower of choice
When asked about his superpower of choice, he responded, “Well, that’s a very hard one. It would either be to fly, to breathe underwater, or to teleport.”
“I would probably teleport, because then you could teleport anywhere anyway, so that’d be pretty cool,” he admitted.
Track and field event
On his favorite track and field event, he said, “I love sprinting. I love running but not super long distances. I think I would do a 400 meter sprint or something like that. I was actually very good even though I’m not the tallest guy.”
“Also, I was actually very good at high jump at school, surprisingly,” he added.
Favorite stroke(s) in swimming
His favorite strokes in swimming are the breaststroke and the freestyle. “While I didn’t really love the breaststroke, I did win a lot of races in school, so that was fun,” he recalled. “I do love spearfishing and freediving.”
Success
On his definition of the word success, Morris said, “Success means just living a meaningful life, you know, living with people that you love, doing things that you love every day, loving your job, and loving the people around you.”
“Also, having good relationships. I think that’s key,” he underscored. “It doesn’t matter where you are in the world. If you’re not with the right people, then you’re not going to have a good time,” he noted.
Message for his fans and supporters
For his fans and supporters, he expressed, “I mean, I’m super new to all this, so I don’t think I have a very big following or a lot of fans as of yet, but I just want to say, ‘thank you so much.’ I love you all and I appreciate the support, and everyone’s been so friendly and nice to me so far, and it has just made my journey so much easier.”
Closing thoughts on the Australian Firefighters Calendar
Morris concluded about the 2026 Australian Firefighters Calendar. “I would love to do more covers,” he said with a sweet laugh. “No, just being with the calendar and traveling with the boys and everything, that’s enough for me, you know. I don’t really care what cover I make it on, or where I go,” he clarified.
“It’s just the whole experience and being able to travel around and support good causes and things like that. I really like to help people. It’s a great thing,” he acknowledged.
Helen Keller once said: “The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched — they must be felt with the heart.” Jimmy Morris embodies this wise quote.
To learn more about the Australian Firefighters Calendar, visit its official website, and follow its Instagram page.
