January Fire Dept. Coffee Club & Shirt Club: Lifting Up the Orange County Fire Authority

At the end of a 12-hour shift suppressing wildfire near the airport, the ride home should have been the easiest, safest part of the day.

Then, a single object in the roadway set off a chaotic reaction that changed the lives of eight firefighters forever.

On September 19, the Orange County Fire Authority’s Santiago Hand Crew 1 was heading back from a day spent battling flames at the Airport Fire in the mountains of Santa Ana, California. Equipped only with hand tools, they spent long hours cutting lines in the dirt to halt the wildfire’s advance. 

As they rode home on the 241 Freeway, the vehicle in front of them swerved to avoid a ladder in the road. The firefighter’s buggy — a short, bus-like vehicle — swerved to avoid that car, only to strike the guardrail and flip multiple times.

When first responders arrived, they found eight of their own. Mostly unconscious. Held in place by seatbelts. All alive. Thankfully.

In the three months that have passed since that day, four of the firefighters have returned to duty. Three are home, navigating a slow path to recovery. 

But one remains hospitalized in Colorado at Craig Hospital, a facility specializing in traumatic injury rehabilitation. He remains in a semi-conscious state, requiring constant medical care and supported by the steady presence of his family—a presence made possible by the Orange County Fire Authority Benevolent Association.

This month, Fire Department Coffee is honored to partner with the Orange County Fire Authority for our Fire Department Coffee Club and Fire Department Shirt Club. Every purchase through the Fire Dept. Coffee Club contributes $2 to the Benevolent Association, while each Fire Dept. Shirt Club purchase contributes $5. 

Firefighters Who Do It All

The Orange County Fire Authority is responsible for the safety of 1.8 million residents across a geographically small but environmentally diverse county that stretches from sea and sand to mountains and canyons. Spanning 23 cities and the unincorporated areas of Orange County, its 78 fire stations are home to 1,200 firefighters, as well as an additional 300 support staff.

OCFA’s specialized teams are among the best in the nation. 

Their Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) Task Force tackles disasters from collapsed buildings to flood rescues. The team activated and deployed one week after hurricane Helene.

Their K9 units sniff out both accelerants and survivors of tragedies. 

And their air operations unit, now equipped with Black Hawk “Fire Hawk” helicopters, can rain down more than 1,000 gallons of water at a time to battle California’s relentless wildfires.

At the heart of this extraordinary organization is the Santiago Hand Crew. These elite Type 1 firefighters are the unsung heroes of wildfire suppression. Their work involves clearing brush, digging lines, and cutting fire off before it can spread further. When wildfires rage, they don’t just fight the flames — they outsmart them.

Taking Care of Their Own

Supporting sick or injured firefighters used to be done by passing a hat around the table, filling it with whatever cash could be spared. Then, more than 30 years ago, the Orange County Fire Authority’s Benevolent Association was born to take it further.

Much further.

Today, it’s a lifeline for OCFA firefighters and their families, providing financial and emotional support when they need it most.

In the wake of the September rollover, the Benevolent Association has been a steady presence. 

The firefighter who remains hospitalized in Colorado was a newlywed with an infant child. The association has covered relocation costs for his family, pitching in for everything from moving expenses to ongoing child care so the firefighter’s wife can spend more time at his side.

“We’re there when times are at their worst,” Jeremy Martin, a Fire Apparatus Engineer and Benevolent Association secretary, explains. “It’s about listening to their needs and making sure they’re not forgotten.”

For the other seven in Santiago Hand Crew 1 — as well as other firefighters with various needs — the Benevolent Association is a source of comfort and reassurance, quietly meeting needs that might otherwise go unnoticed.

The association also supports their mental health, ready to navigate less visible but no less powerful trauma.

These unseen injuries often require as much care as physical wounds. Firefighters in Orange County are fortunate to be surrounded by peers who recognize that and who care deeply. 

At Fire Department Coffee, we’re honored to support them, and we know that coffee lovers nationwide will rally around this cause.

A Chance to Make a Difference

January’s Fire Department Coffee Club roast is as bold as the firefighters it honors. 

It’s a medium roast that blends Colombian and Brazilian coffee, highlighted by memorable notes of milk chocolate and citrus.

The coffee bag and the shirt design each display the motto of the Benevolent Association: “Taking Care of Our Own.”

The design makes the connection even stronger. It pays tribute to the Santiago Hand Crew with a powerful depiction of their iconic ram’s head logo. The ram, with its curving horns emerging from beneath a firefighter’s helmet, serves as a symbol of strength and teamwork. In the background are other icons of Orange County: the beach and the mountains. Urban buildings rising skyward and Fire Hawks aloft above a smoke cloud.

Wearing this shirt is a tribute to the Santiago Hand Crew and the entire Orange County Fire Authority, a large but close-knit team that embodies resilience in the face of adversity.

For those who wear the shirt or sip this month’s coffee, it’s a way to carry their story forward. 

“Seeing that coffee bag and shirt speaks volumes,” Martin says. “It shows them that people care, and that speaks volumes.”

So, in January, let’s speak loudly and in one united voice. If you haven’t joined the Coffee Club or Shirt Club, now is your chance to join — or simply make a one-time purchase.

Every little bit helps. It adds up.

It lets these firefighters know that their circle of support is bigger than they’d ever dreamed.