Every Custom Patch Tells a Story
As a custom patch maker with over 20 years of experience, you’d think that we’ve seen everything there is to see when it comes to patches. But the truth is that there are still custom patch designs that surprise us even to this day.
That’s the beauty of creating custom products like embroidered patches. They celebrate an organization, a team or an individual. When it comes to custom firefighter patches, we’ve seen firsthand how the artwork and design of each custom patch can uplift an entire station and help the team in several important ways.
It comes down to building trust, celebrating team identity, and cultivating camaraderie.
Sharing Team Culture With Custom Fire Dept Patches
Just like a military unit patch, firefighter patches are a mark of honor and heritage. Earning the right to wear a station’s fire department patch on your bunker gear is no easy feat, but the effort is well worth it.
For new cadets and firefighters, fire department patches are the perfect tool for introducing them to the team and making them feel at home. The design unifies the team, helping new members feel as though they are apart of the culture as soon as they arrive.
Another great use for custom firefighter patches is community outreach. As a symbol of your team, sharing the patches at schools, fundraisers and community functions will help you share your story with others and raise awareness for important causes.
We’ve worked with some stations that design custom fire department patches specifically for things like 5k races, parades and school rallies. Sometimes the patches are given away, and other times the patches are sold to raise money for the station or for charity.
So, the benefits experienced by the fire stations that create custom firefighter patches include cultivating team culture, raising awareness in the community, and raising money to help individual stations and charities. However, this is only the beginning.
Giving Your Team a Voice Through Custom Patch Design
Another great benefit of creating custom fire department patches is giving members of your team a chance to show off some personality with the design. Similar to morale patches in the military, some custom firefighter patches are specifically made to boost the morale of a team.
Most of the firefighter patches we help create are shaped like a Florian cross or shield, but there are all kinds of different ways to make a unique design that stands out from the crowd. We’ve seen different teams of firefighters create patches shaped like dancing flames, patches that include fire breathing dragons, and patches shaped like fire engines.
The potential is limitless, and the end result will always be something that speaks to your team. Giving members of your station free reign to create something personal and meaningful that they can share among the comrades is a great way to boost morale and cultivate camaraderie.
Designing and Attaching Yout Custom Firefighter Patch
The best way to get started on your own firefighter patch is to talk with your team and see what everyone has in mind. Giving everyone a chance to help with the design will ensure that everyone has a connection to the final product, making it even more special.
Also, make sure to talk about how the team plans on using the patch. If it’s going to be similar to a morale patch that firefighters can attach to their gym bags or jackets, then you can order the design with any backing you prefer. Iron on patches are an excellent option because they make securing the patches to a hat, backpack or article of clothing as quick and easy as possible.
However, if you plan on using the patches with bunker gear or anything similar, an iron on backing is not your best option. Iron on patches provide a permanent attachment in most cases, but if they’re subjected to extreme heat like that wich firefighters experience when actually fighting fires, the adhesive bond between the patch and the surface it’s connected to will slowly melt, reversing the iron on process.
Iron on patches are fine going through the dryer every once and a while, but they definitely should not be put on bunker gear that will be facing raging fires and extreme heat. A better option is a hook and loop backing or to sew the patches in place.
We make a lot of embroidered firefighter patches with hook and loop backings and iron on backings, but there are other options available as well. Woven firefighter patches, for example, have crisp and clear artwork with a higher level of detail than a classic embroidered patch. We also have PVC patches is your looking for a weather-resistant design or HAZMAT patch.
Ordering Firefighter Patches Will Boost Morale by Celebrating Your Team
Firefighter patches celebrate team history and identity. The custom artwork tells a story that can be shared among teammates, among members of the community, and beyond. We’ve seen fire department patches used in fundraisers, in public awareness campaigns, and in recruiting events.
At the end of the day, the benefits that come from a set of custom firefighter patches are up to you. It’s all about how you come up with the design and how you use the patches once they’re manufactured. When done right, the patches can boost morale, build camaraderie, and celebrate team history, and this only scratches the surface.
What kind of custom firefighter patches do you need? Give us a call today, and see how easy it is to create a unique, high-quality firefighter patch from scratch with our Signature Patches team.
