Gifts for Firefighters That Aren't Novelty Mugs

Every firefighter has the mug. Usually more than one. There's a cupboard at most stations full of them, and nobody drinks out of any of them.

I'm a retained firefighter myself, so I've had a few. This is a list of things that actually get used. Some of them I make. Some of them I don't.

Something for the alerter

If they're retained, they carry an alerter. It goes everywhere with them. The shop. The pub. The side of the table at Sunday dinner. Most live in the case they came with, which is fine until the clip snaps.

I make leather cases for Datanet type alerters and for Birdy and Multitone types. Full-grain vegetable-tanned leather, saddle stitched by hand in my workshop. The Datanet case can have the UKFRS logo on it, with a name or service number added if you want. They start at £29.99.

Shoulder badges

Bespoke leather shoulder badges, made to order. Good for a watch, a station, or someone who's just passed their probation. £19.99.

Something for off duty

The Cash Stash keychain. A folded note tucked away on their keys, for when the card machine's down or the tea fund needs topping up. £9.99. Small, cheap, gets used every week.

A decent belt or wallet is the other obvious one. Full-grain leather gets better with age instead of falling apart. My grandfather had a wallet that outlasted most of his furniture. That's the idea.

Things I don't make

A proper flask. Good boot socks. A head torch that isn't the one from the garage drawer. And honestly, a lie-in after a night shout is worth more than most of this list.

Getting something personalised

Everything above can be personalised, and I'm happy to make something that isn't listed. I've made replacement PPE kit straps for an on-call firefighter before, so odd requests are fine. You'll find me at Daisy's Milkshed Farmers Market once a month, or you can get in touch. If it's for Christmas, ask early.

You can see everything in the Firefighter Essentials collection.