Fire department patches are more than an emblem that firefighters wear. They are a mark of heritage and honor that celebrate the selfless firefighters who risk their lives to benefit others. They command respect and admiration from the public.

For career firefighters, wearing a station’s fire department patch reminds them of their higher calling to save lives in emergencies. But what do fire department patches mean to volunteers, and how do they benefit them?

Patches Introduce Volunteer Firefighters to the Rest of the Crew

The camaraderie and deep bonding among firefighters are some of the admirable qualities that inspire people to volunteer. It’s important that volunteers integrate well into the team. Wearing a firefighter patch helps volunteers blend in easily within a fire station’s team.

The team’s older members will instantly recognize the new team members and help them settle down smoothly. A peaceful transition enables volunteers to learn and assimilate into the culture and team values of a station. This helps them become productive sooner and start making significant contributions to the team.

Social Respect From the Community

Like the Military’s morale patches, firefighters attract sincere respect from community members. More often, most volunteer firefighters are members of the local community looking for a meaningful way to serve their neighbors. By volunteering to serve as firefighters, they earn the right to wear fire department patches on their uniforms, backpacks, bunker gear, and cars, trucks, and house doors. Displaying a station’s fire department patch on their property gives people in need the confidence to ask for help from volunteers. Good thing volunteer firefighters undergo intense training so they’re efficient first-responders in an emergency.

According to the National Fire Protection Association, there were about 1,115,000 career and volunteer firefighters in North America in 2018. This number is insufficient, given the increasing rate of emergency calls to fire stations. As such, there’s a need for fire stations to find ways of attracting more volunteer firefighters.

One way to attract and retain volunteer firefighters is by having well-designed fire department patches that summarize the values and identity of your team. Catchy firefighter patches can motivate volunteers to join your fire station and give back to society in a practical and meaningful way. That’s why you should have your station’s firefighter patches designed by a top and experienced custom-design company.

Hundreds of federal agencies and first responder departments in the United States are considering custom patches for their units. If you’ve recently considered getting your police department or division on this bandwagon, there are a few tips that’ll ensure you get the most appropriate badge patch. Read on to learn more about the best ways to get customized patches.

Choosing the Right Size is Key

The patches we have in stock come in a variety of sizes and shapes, depending on your needs. Remember that the size and shape will have a major impact on the overall appearance of the patch on the uniform. For starters, you want to go for shapes that complement the design of the attire.

The Border Will Give the Patch a Unique Look

If you want a distinct and polished look on your patches, consider bordering. Most of the custom patches we have in stock have elegant borders. When choosing a border, the most important thing is the feeling that they create. You want your officers to feel confident in their attire.

Backing Will Make the Patch Stand Out

When it comes to attaching custom patches to police uniforms, not everyone wants cloth backing. Some people appreciate a patch that they can remove on the go for various reasons. Velcro patches give you this option because they can be removed from clothes at any time, making them quite convenient to use. If you want patches that never lose their shape for esthetic reasons, it’s advisable to go for plastic backing.

Using custom patches has become quite popular over the past few years as police departments choose to differentiate their officers in the field. The patches we have in stock can help inspire you to design some for your police division. Contact us today if you’re considering a custom patch.

Protecting your velcro patches helps maintain their gripping power and durability. However, exposed apparel closures can sometimes collect debris like fuzz. You don’t need to sit for hours hand-picking pieces attached to your custom velcro patches. Instead, there are many cleaning solutions available. Here are a few ways to ensure your velcro patches last longer.

Cleaning Your Velcro Patches

Velcro can collect a lot of debris when it isn’t properly maintained. It’s not recommended to wash your velcro patches in the washing machine as this can be especially rough on the velcro. The last thing you want for your uniform is for the velcro patches to lose their gripping ability. Consider handwashing the fabric with your velcro patches instead of putting them through the washing machine.

You can also remove lint and other debris from your velcro patches using a T-pin. Slide the T-pin carefully between the rows of velcro to collect the debris. You can also use tiny tweezers, a dry toothbrush, or a fine-toothed comb to wipe off debris. Make sure you use minimal force to avoid breaking the delicate edges.

Why Are Velcro Patches Prone to Collecting Debris?

Customized velcro patches can be a great way to set your department apart from others. However, velcro patches have little hooks that are designed specifically to help them stay onto the fabric of your team’s uniforms. This is great for ensuring the velcro patch stays intact, but it also means that the patch can sometimes pick up more than fabric.

When packed with lint, the tiny fasteners fail to get an excellent grip. Make sure you unclog the grime using the mentioned methods above for a tighter grip.

Properly Store Your Patch Collection

Improper storage could end up ruining your entire collection of custom velcro patches. Consider getting a patch panel that is crafted from the smooth side of the velcro so you can hook all your patches in one place when not in use. If you don’t have a patch panel, you can press two patches on each other firmly.

With proper maintenance, care, and storage, you can make sure that your custom velcro patches stay in great shape for as long as possible. If you’re looking for customized velcro patches for your department or organization, look no further than Emblem Authority. To learn more about our velcro patches, lapel pins, and masks, contact us today.

A face mask is an essential part of your uniform during the COVID-19 pandemic. It can help to keep yourself, your coworkers, and the public safe. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it’s recommended that everyone over the age of two wear a face mask to help slow the spread of COVID-19. In certain states, wearing a face mask is a legal requirement in public areas.

However, since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a lot of debate about face coverings and the effectiveness of wearing a face mask. That said, to help bust these myths once and for all, we’ve compiled three of the most common misconceptions about face masks and the real truth about them.

1. Myth #1: Face masks aren’t effective. Face masks can help to reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19 when used alongside social distancing. When you wear a face mask, it helps to absorb the moisture particles expelled from your nose and mouth when you breathe, speak, and laugh. When worn by a person who is infected with COVID-19, it can help to mitigate the risk of spreading the virus.
2. Myth #2: Masks cause carbon dioxide buildup. While some masks are a little more difficult to breathe through than others, they cannot cause carbon dioxide buildup or poisoning. Doctors, nurses, and other medical personnel wear face masks daily while on the job and are able to breathe perfectly fine. Face coverings made from cotton are recommended for regular use by the public.
3. Myth #3: Face masks make it difficult to identify yourself. The Emblem Authority offers face coverings that come embroidered with custom police, fire department, and EMS patches to make it easy for public safety departments to identify themselves to members of the public while staying safe and reducing the risk of spreading COVID-19.

Are you looking for high-quality face masks with custom police patches or patches for fire departments? The Emblem Authority is your one-stop-shop for masks with custom patches, velcro patches, pins, and more. To learn more about our face coverings and custom patches for police, fire departments, EMS, and more, contact The Emblem Authority today.

One of the top ways to prevent the spread of COVID-19 is to maintain social distancing. However, for emergency services and departments serving the general public, it can be difficult to stay up to six feet apart from your coworkers and members of the public. Fortunately, public health experts agree that wearing a face covering is one of the best possible ways to reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19. To help protect your department and the people you’re serving, here’s what you need to know about the dos and don’ts of wearing face coverings.

DO: Wear Your Mask Properly

When you’re wearing your face covering, it’s essential that you’re wearing your face mask correctly or it won’t be effective. The face covering ought to cover both your nose and mouth. Your nose should never be poking out from the top, and the mask should never be down to your chin.

Wash your hands before you put your mask on and avoid touching your mask once it’s on. If you need to adjust your mask, make sure to touch the straps and not the cloth. When the time comes to take your mask off, remove it by the straps and not the cloth.

DON’T: Remove Your Mask to Identify Yourself

When you work in a public service position, you may need to identify yourself or your department to other people. However, removing your face covering could put you, the person you’re speaking to, and the rest of your department at risk. Keep your face covered with your face mask and instead use your identification card and badge to identify yourself.

The Emblem Authority offers face masks with custom patches sewn in so you don’t have to worry about not being able to identify yourself to others. What’s more, your custom police patches and fire department patches sewn onto your department’s face masks can also serve as a preventative measure for security. Because your custom patch is on the face mask, you don’t need to worry about someone impersonating a police officer or firefighter in your department while using a face covering as a disguise.

DO: Wash Your Mask Daily

Just like you wash the rest of your department’s uniforms every day, it’s important to wash your face masks every day. Wash your hands immediately after you remove your face mask even when you’re touching the straps. Consider keeping your department’s used face masks in a separate, sealed container until the time comes to wash them later in the day.

Once the face masks have been sufficiently washed and dried, store them in a clean, dry container. When you’re wearing a face mask from The Emblem Authority, you don’t need to worry about the water damaging your custom badge. Just wash the face mask with gentle detergent on gentle cycle only with cool water.

Face coverings are an essential part of your department’s new uniform. They’re important for keeping yourself, your coworkers, and the public safe. However, that doesn’t mean you need to worry about face masks clashing with the rest of your department’s uniform. The Emblem Authority’s face masks with custom department badges are exactly what you need. For more information on face masks with custom badges, contact The Emblem Authority today.