It's getting hot in here!

Firefighters strip off and pose with adorable rescue animals for the 2021 calendar shoot - and there are more rippling abs than ever before

The Australian Firefighters Calendar for 2021 has been released, and it's filled with toned physiques and adorable animals, with a special focus this year on the devastating bushfire season the country endured just months ago.

Now in its 28th year, the calendar dubbed the 'world's most popular' has produced six unique calendars - including two new versions - to honour the hard work of the Australian men and women who fought through the flames during the 2019/2020 crisis.

'No one was left unaffected watching our precious wildlife trying to escape from the bushfires, and the loss of wildlife is beyond comprehension,' director of the calendar David Rogers said.

'Everyone at the Australian Firefighters Calendar decided that all our efforts needed to be focused on Australian wildlife this year'.

It's estimated that one billion animals were obliterated across our lands during the catastrophic bushfires and the destroyed bushland has made it impossible for many of the displaced wildlife to return to their natural habitat.

The new 'Hero' calendar honours the hard work of our emergency services team while the 'Animal Lovers' calendar puts a diverse range of Australian wildlife, adorable rescue and therapy animals and other iconic animal images in the spotlight.

'After fighting the fires and witnessing the suffering of the wildlife, my crew and I felt compelled to do more,' Leading firefighter at Fire Rescue New South Wales Cameron Simpson said.

'We donated money to care for a koala called Anwen and after seeing first-hand the work carried out by the volunteers at the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital, our perspective on the protection of our wildlife has been changed forever.'

The cat and dog calendars the team are known for have returned as well but with a slight twist because of social distancing restrictions in recent months.

'As COVID-19 restricted our access to many rescue animals, the Australian public were asked to bring their own rescued furry friends to the photoshoot to help create these calendars,' Mr Rogers said.

'Funds raised will allow us to help less fortunate animals find a new home through rescue organisations like Safe Haven Animal Rescue and All Breeds Canine Rescue.'

Funds from last year's 2020 calendar helped pay for new equipment and supplies for nearly six months as Dr Michael Pyne and his team of vets and volunteers from Currumbin Wildlife Hospital worked around the clock to save streams of koalas, wombats, kangaroos and birdlife.

'The support from the donations the calendar provided were vital through the bushfires, supplies were very limited and the injection of funds from the calendar helped save many animals,' Mr Pyne said.

This year the 2021 calendars will be donating to native animal charities that are supporting fragile wildlife.

One of these is the Byron Bay Wildlife Hospital, where Dr Stephen Van Mil and his team are building Australia's first mobile wildlife hospital, so they can rush to the scene of emergencies and treat animals on-site.

You can purchase all six calendars at www.australianfirefighterscalendar.com.