June’s Fire Dept. Coffee Club and Shirt Club: Supporting Anchorage Fire Explorers

When you’re young, you play pretend. 

You dress up for Halloween or for fun on a lazy summer day. You’re a soldier. You’re a superhero. You’re a firefighter. For a brief moment, it feels real.

Then you grow older and, for the first time, you step into a uniform, and suddenly, it’s not pretend anymore. Jayson Russell remembers experiencing that moment when he joined the Anchorage Fire Explorers as a high school junior in 2003. He’s never forgotten that feeling. More than 20 years later, he’s now the Lead Advisor for Explorers Post 264, which introduces young people to the fire service.

“I remember thinking it was unreal,” he said. “You grow up playing pretend. You’re not really a superhero. Then, on your first day in the Explorers program, we will give you actual firefighter turnouts. This is your armor.”

The Anchorage Fire Explorers program has been creating that moment for Alaska youth for more than 40 years. Many of the Explorers go on to a career in the fire service — currently, 65 of the 400 members of the Anchorage Fire Department are alumni of Post 264. For those who don’t become firefighters, the experience still brings great value. It instills confidence and leadership skills, nudging young people outside their comfort zones and showing them that they can achieve more than they imagined.

So it’s with great pride and optimism for our future that Fire Department Coffee has made the Anchorage Fire Explorers the beneficiary of funds raised in June through our Fire Dept. Coffee Club and Fire Dept. Shirt Club.

For every purchase through the Fire Dept. Coffee Club, $2 is donated to the Explorers, additionally, for each Fire Dept. Shirt Club purchase: $5 will be donated. Funds will help ensure that the young Explorers are equipped and trained and that they can serve their communities while earning a glimpse into the life they can expect as full-fledged firefighters.

A Bright Future for Alaska Firefighters

The mission of the Anchorage Fire Explorers is clear: “Empowering tomorrow’s leaders and preparing the next generation of Alaska’s first responders.”

The Vision of the organization goes deeper, focusing on the character traits that will serve young people well throughout life, whether or not they choose to pursue a life in the fire service — integrity, citizenship, public service, personal responsibility.

As much as anything, that’s the part of the Explorers experience that resonated with Russell, though he’s now spent the majority of his life as a professional firefighter.

“Like a lot of youth, I was not very good at owning up to my actions,” he admitted. “They taught me accountability, something we instill today, and it’s very important for the fire service.”

After two years in the Explorers, Russell graduated high school and began a stint as a wildland firefighter, a challenging job anywhere, but especially in Alaska’s rugged wilderness. He did it for the adventure but also to earn money for college.

His next step was enrolling in the University of Alaska Fairbanks, where he joined the University Fire Department and its student firefighter program. At UFD, 90% of the firefighters are students, but it’s a very real and fully functioning department. It serves the community and runs more than 2,000 calls a year.

It also creates unique scenarios. Can you imagine driving a fire engine to campus for class? Russell can. He did it.

It’s all a step in the not-uncommon progression from Explorer to full-time firefighter. Russell eventually worked with an Explorers program in Fairbanks, and now he’s been running Post 264 for the last two years.

The post is growing, and Fire Dept. Coffee is excited to help them meet their needs, achieve their goals and inspire the next generation of Alaska firefighters.

Equipping the Explorers for Life-Changing Experiences

Today, Post 264 has 46 Explorers.

In addition to learning firefighting skills and going on real-life calls with full-time firefighters, they learn to be active, engaged members of the community.

In 2023, each Explorer committed to a minimum of 25 hours of community service, working with organizations such as Friends in Serving Humanity, The Salvation Army, Special Olympics Alaska, and many others. This service helps them develop a strong sense of civic duty and community involvement.

"We donate over 1,100 hours of volunteer time back to the community," Russell said. "It’s about getting the kids out in their uniforms and teaching them that you’ve got to give back. That’s how a city thrives."

To create this well-rounded experience takes funds, and the Explorers program has set a goal of raising $50,000 to support its operations. That money will supply uniforms and gear for every Explorer, as well as covering administrative costs related to their training. It will pay for educational field trips and help establish a scholarship fund for higher education in first responder fields.

Funds raised through FDC’s Fire Dept. Clubs in June will first go toward buying uniforms and training gear.

“These kids take a lot of pride in their uniforms,” he said. “They deck out their helmets in stickers. When you hand them a lid that actually has their name on it, it’s fun to watch their eyes go wide. It’s a big deal.”

Epic Design, Delicious Coffee

If you’re a member of the Fire Dept. Coffee Club or the Fire Dept. Shirt Club, you’re going to love the package that arrives in your mail for June. 

The design on the bag and the T-shirt is one of our favorites so far. It’s an epic outdoor scene, depicting a firefighter in full gear, ax in hand, standing against a lake-and-mountain backdrop with the bright sun shining overhead. The script lettering reads “Land of the Midnight Sun,” a nod to the natural phenomenon that occurs during the summer months when parts of Alaska experience prolonged periods of daylight, with the sun remaining visible at midnight and even beyond.

Simply put, this is a cool design. You’ll love wearing this shirt.

And you’ll love drinking this coffee. It is a premium blend of beans from Uganda and Flores that delivers a smooth and rich taste with every pour.

If you haven’t joined these clubs yet, now is the perfect time. Do it for the kids. And do it for the caffeine.