Adrian Sherriff took his shirt off so young burn victims can, too.
The Coquitlam resident is Mr. September in the 2012 Hall of Flame calendar, B.C. firefighters' largest fundraiser for charities that include, among others, the Vancouver General Hospital's burn treatment centre and the BC Professional Firefighters' Burn Camp.
Sherriff, a 2002 Gleaneagle secondary grad and United rugby player, said he was eager to take part in the campaign to support kids who are burn survivors.
Last year, he joined the Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services' launch day for the annual summer camp with some participants "and I got to see how excited they were to go," Sherriff said. "You could really tell it was something that really mattered to them.
"It's a little different when your average kid goes to the beach and can take their shirt off and go into the water," he said, "but, for someone with burns, they might be a little shy or reluctant to want to do something like that in public.When they're around other burn victims, it's easier for them to be them."
Besides the calendar, which was photographed in June at Firehall 6 (West End), Sherriff will also generate some heat when appears at the West Coast Women's Show, which happens this weekend at the TRADEX in Abbotsford.
Sherriff, whose home firehall is Number 5 (Killarney), will strut the catwalk for a fashion show with other calendar models on Friday at 7:30 p.m.But just before that, at 5 p.m., he'll whip up one of his favourite dishes - Thai chicken noodle salad - also in an effort to build awareness and to collect money for the firefighters' foundation.
The 27-year-old bachelor admits he wasn't great in front of the stove when he was hired as a Vancouver smoke-eater two years ago. "Now, my friends and family say, 'I had no idea you could cook like this,'" he said, adding, "it just takes a bit of practice and confidence."
The 25th annual 2012 Greater Vancouver Hall of Flame charity calendar is available at London Drugs or online at www.iaff18.org/. For more information on the 11th annual West Coast Women's Show, visit www.westcoastwomen.net.
