AN ASTORIA-based photographer who drove women wild with her steamy calendar of buff FDNY hunks is looking to turn up the heat nationally.
Katherine Kostreva, 27, is launching a calendar featuring strapping firefighters from 12 major cities, including New York. Her previous calendar of FDNY Adonises, “City of the Bravest,” ended its run in 2010 after the Fire Department decided to resume publishing an official calendar in 2012 after a four-year hiatus.
Kostreva said she has always wanted to launch a national calendar of firefighting hotties. “Firefighters are the same across the country. They save lives and do good,” she said.
Philip Sylvester, 27, better known as Mr. September, has been a firefighter with the FDNY for three years. The Canarsie native said he’s enjoyed the spotlight since appearing in Kostreva’s 2010 calendar.
“It’s very rare that we get to do a fluff piece like this. Usually our job is around other people’s tragedies and misfortunes,” he said.
Sylvester posed for the calendar on a brisk Saturday morning last month on a SoHo street sans shirt. He said he didn’t mind all the head turns and whistles from female fans because the money was going to a good cause.
“It’s great to give back to the community. Other people appreciate what we do,” he said.
Violet Benny, of Westchester, said she is a huge fan of Kostreva’s work. She said she’s purchased almost every one of Kostreva’s hunk calendars. She said firemen are more than just their “perfectly sculpted” bodies. To Benny, they are the total package.
“They have gorgeous bodies, they show up to rescue you and when they’re hanging out in the house, they cook. They’re like the perfect man,” Benny said.
The launch party for the calendar is slated for August in New York, with all 12 hunks in the same room. Kostreva said the calendar is her way of giving back. “Everyone shows their appreciation for them. This calendar sends the right message,” she said.