Join Us in Honoring Our Heroes on International Firefighters’ Day

We celebrate our heroes every day. But on May 4, International Firefighters’ Day, we celebrate them just a little bit more.

We go out of our way to simply say thank you.

We take an extra moment to reflect. We remember those we’ve lost. We honor those who serve today.

A Foundation of Support

As a company founded and run by firefighters, we’ve had the privilege of serving alongside men and women whose courage and bravery are undeniable.

We’ve also had the misfortune of knowing fellow firefighters who have been wounded, mentally or physically, on the job or who are fighting serious illness.

It’s why we launched the Fire Dept. Coffee Foundation. And it’s why 10% of net proceeds from Fire Department Coffee goes to the foundation to help provide desperately needed resources and support to ill or injured first responders.

Serving our heroes is a huge part of what we do.

It Began With a Tragedy

International Firefighters’ Day originated in the aftermath of a wildfire in Victoria, Australia, on January 4, 1999.

A group of firefighters from a nearby town arrived to fight the blaze. They emptied their tanker into the fire and headed out to refill it with water. As they did, the wind suddenly shifted, engulfing their tanker in flames.

Garry Vredeveldt, Chris Evans, Stuart Davidson, Jason Thomas and Matthew Armstrong died in the fire — all of them volunteers — became fallen heroes.

From the outpouring of grief came the idea to set aside a day to remember firefighters lost in the line of duty and to recognize those who continue to answer the call, despite the danger that dawns again with each new day.

May 4 was selected to correspond with the feast day of St. Florian, the patron saint of firefighters. The symbol of the day is a blue and red ribbon, chosen for the colors’ connection to firefighters — red for fire, blue for water.

The Soundoff

At noon local time on the first Sunday in May, which is May 5 this year, firefighters are encouraged to sound off their sirens for 30 seconds, followed by a minute of silence in memory of all those who have died.

If you’re able to do that, we hope you will. If not, we hope you’ll simply take a moment to remember our fallen heroes and honor their sacrifice.

We hope you’ll continue to join us in supporting the heroes who are still with us and who need our help now more than ever.

We are truly grateful that you are following along with us at Fire Dept. Coffee. Know that with every order and every sip of your favorite cup of coffee, you’re helping make a difference in the lives of our heroes.

On International Firefighters’ Day and every day.