Many of the items I make and sell are for the purpose of fire academy graduation gifts. Recently I have been thinking, and talking to other firefighters about what we actually needed when we came out of the fire academy.
We came to a consensus that the gifts we received, were not what we actually needed to perform our jobs. While all the gifts were very thoughtful, there are better options out there.
I took it upon myself to write a concise list of items your new firefighter will love and need. I have broken this list down in to three categories.
- Firefighter necessities
- Helpful items to have
- Luxury Items
The new firefighter necessities items are things that every new firefighter should have to perform their job. Unfortunately, most of the time the fire department does not provide these for us.
Not only are these necessities, but some of these items could actually save a new firefighters life.
The helpful items to have section are things that your firefighter will use constantly, but they aren’t necessarily, must haves items to perform their job. Although, most of their co-workers will have these items. If they don’t receive them as a gift, they will probably buy them for themselves.
Let’s be honest, the luxury items for new firefighters are expensive and are not necessities, but these are the things they will love the most. These could always be purchase later in their career or you could be a hero and pick one up now.
Any of the fire academy graduation gifts listed below will be a hit with your new firefighter. Have a look and use the contact us page if you have any questions.
Necessities for Fire Academy Graduates
Obviously we think ours is the best.
We have made thousand of our glove tamers for firefighters all around the world.
These glove straps are hand made and are personalized with the last name of your firefighter.
Other than looking amazing, these actually serve a purpose. They keep a firefighters gloves secure outside of their pockets.
This is important because it allows the firefighter to have quick access to their gloves when needed. It also allows the fire gloves to dry after a fire. There is nothing worse than putting your hand in wet gloves! Your new firefighter will love these.
Customize your own firefighter glove strap here!
The flashlight is one of the most important items a new firefighter can carry.
In our professions there are so many things that we do in the dark. Everything from working at a car wreck, in the middle of the night, to crawling through a smoke filled building.
One of the biggest items we need for safety and the ability to do our job is a flashlight.
Not any regular flashlight will work though. It has to be able to withstand heat and being drenched in water.
With that being said, the most common flashlight you will see around the firehouse is the Streamlight Survivor.
This flashlight has been proven to take the abuse of firefighters. Personally mine has lasted five years!
This tool is in the right hand pocket of my bunker coat!
I always know were my leatherman multi-tool is because I use it so often. It is one of the most versatile tools a new firefighter can have.
This leatherman has everything from a knife to a Phillips screwdriver, just about anything a firefighter could use on a emergency scene.
This is a must have tool for every new firefigher and should be one of the first things they have.
Possibly one of the most important tools for all firefighters.
I cannot stress how important this tool is for any new fire academy graduate. It is so versatile and possibly, life saving.
Let me explain……
When you are fighting a fire, often the ceiling will collapse and trap firefighters in a bundle of wiring.
In a zero viability environment, this wiring could be our demise. That is if we don’t have a tool like this.
This rescue tool allows us to easily cut our way to freedom!
It doesn’t stop there though. The other end has a gas shutoff tool (useful on gas leak calls) and a spanner wrench (helps us take hose apart).
Firefighters need to sleep too!
When family or friends buy gifts for new firefighters, they often overlook this simple item.
As you know most firefighters sleep at the station. We have dedicated bedding (twin) that we keep at the firestation.
A great gift would be to pick up a quality bedding set that will keep your firefighter warm and comfortable.
We need somewhere to keep our bathroom necessities.
Since firefighters move from firestation to firestation (especially when they are new), they need somwhere to keep all their toiletry items.
This one would be a great gift because it is made from bunker gear material.
This bag not only lets us keep everything we need, but it can also be personalized the the last name of the firefighter.
Something every firefighter should carry!
Webbing is something that is important for every firefighter to carry.
We can use this in a variety of situations including self rescue.
While this might not be the most exciting gift, it is something they will appreciate and use!
Nice to Have Gifts for Fire Academy Graduates
As I stated above, these “nice to have” gifts aren’t things we absolutely need to perform our job, but they make things so much easier. A lot of thought has went in to these fire academy graduation gifts and I am positive your new firefighter would love all of them.
This gear bag makes a firefighter life easier.
As a new firefighter you usually have to move between fire stations. You often need to lug all your gear around in your car with you.
This bag makes all of that so much easier. It is large enough to hold all our bunker gear, radio straps, SCBA mask and anything else we decide to put in it.
This bunker gear bag is even better though, it is embroidered with your firefighters name. This truly is and amazing fire academy graduation gift that your firefighter will love.
The ultimate tool carrier!
Basically this belt is worn on the outside of a firefighters turnout gear.
It allows for the firefighter to carry multiple tools with them supported comfortably by the belt.
When a firefighter goes to a fire, there are many, many things they carry with them. This belt makes that so much easier! This belt allows them to carry things like an axe, flashlight and other items while keeping their hands free. This cannot be understated while working on a fire ground. There is so much to carry and do. Since the creation of this post we have created our own belt. Check out our firefighters truck belt here
This light should probably be a necessity!
As a newly graduated firefighter, one of the hardest things to get accustomed to is the lack of vision in a number of situation.
Often we are working in zero visibility conditions. This light is a great solution for those times. It is an item every firefighter should have.
This flashlight attaches to our fire helmets. So basically, wherever you turn your head, you have light that follows.
As you probably noticed, a lot of my gift suggestions are safety related. We have a dangerous profession and we do anything we can to make things just a little bit safer.
If your new firefighter doesn’t already have one of these, they will as soon as they see all the other firefighter with them on their helmets.
Just makes our job a little easier.
The stethoscopes the fire department give us are honestly, junk.
For any EMT or Paramedic who is serious about their job, they will want a Littmann stethoscope.
This allows us to hear blood pressures and lung sounds so much easier. They are definitely worth the price.
Luxury Firefighter Gifts They Will Love
Obviously with the word luxury in the title, these are going to be the most expensive gifts on the list. These aren’t necessarily items the new firefighter must have to complete the job. These are items they can show off to their new firefighter buddies. They will definitely love them and are possibly the best fire academy graduation gifts.
It protects our noggin and its cool!
Honestly the thing that firefighters are most proud of are their fire helmets.
We love leather helmets and everything about them!
Leather helmets are a tradition in the fire service. While they are expensive, they also show your pride in the profession.
I cannot think of one rookie firefighter who would not love to have this helmet. These also have the added benefit of keeping our beautiful little heads safe. If you can swing the price, I know your new firefighter would absolutely love to have one of these Cairns fire helmets.
Help make your new firefighter more comfortable.
Lets be honest. The boots the fire depart provides for us are junk.
These boots, while expensive, provide the same protection with a whole lot more comfort.
Also, firefighters just love leather boots. This is an absolute hit as a gift!
Last but definitely not least!
As we mentioned above, the fire helmet is the prized possession of any firefighter.
With that said, firefighters love to customize their helmets with custom fire shields.
The handmade shields we create are loved by firefighters from around the country. They show off the pride in their station, department and crew.
While this isn’t an absolute must for your new firefighter to be able to complete the job. It is something they would 100% love and cherish forever.
If you are looking for a fire academy gift that is an absolute home-run, our custom fire helmet shield is it!
You can customize your own fire helmet shield here.
In Conclusion
I really hope you have found what you are looking for. I have tried to provide the most comprehensive list of fire academy graduation gifts for you to choose from.
As far as what firefighters want, they like things that help them perform their jobs better or that they can show off to the other firefighters.
Often times people find themselves buying T-Shirts or little ceramic figurines for their firefighters. This is because they can’t figure out what the firefighter really wants.
Hopefully this list gave you a little insight on what we do and what we actually need to perform our job.
If you have any questions about gifts for your firefighter, please feel free to ask by using the contact form at the top of the page. I would love to hear from you.
If you can think of any gift for new firefighters, that we have missed, please feel free to let us know in the comments below.
–Brian