Please take note of SFFDGear.com's Terms and conditions of sale:
1. SFFDGear.com's sole liability, including It's Owner or any employee, in any event, shall be limited to the return of the purchase price for any gear ordered. SFFDGear.com shall not be liable for any incidental or consequential damages, for any reason whatsoever, even if we have been advised about the possibility of such damages in advance.
1.1 If you sue me, and I win, in any way whatsoever, you have to pay ALL of my reasonable Attorney's fees.
2. That said, I want you to be happy with your purchase! In the event you aren't delighted with what you received, here is what to do:
A. Email me with a description of the problem, and how to make it right, if this is appropriate. I have several links on the site. OR,
B. Return the item (yeah, you're stuck with the return postage), ALONG WITH THE SHIPPING LETTER I ENCLOSED with your order (or a copy of it)! There is a space for you to tell me what would make you Happy! Tell me how to make you happy! Here is the KEY: You must send your return with some kind of delivery confirmation!!! I'll eat my share of the return back to you.
Reason: I once sent a return back to "Videogameplaza.com". They claimed to have never received it, so I got burned out of $35. Was it their fault - perhaps fraud - or "lost in the mail"? I'll never really know. Still, they lost a customer. I don't want to lose any good customers, OK? If you have a return, send it back in a traceable form. Once I get it, I'll do the right thing.
3. You agree to never misrepresent yourself while wearing your gear.
4. If you do not agree with my conditions, do not order.
Bah. I didn't need to be so wordy about doing the right thing about donations - I'm just doing the right thing.
About the donations: Nobody told me, asked me, pressured me, rewarded me nor even suggested for me to do it. I got the idea when a new friend of mine - I make friends in the most interesting places - contacted me to tell me that he was doing the SF Firefighter's Toy Program web site on a volunteer basis, and asked me if I could help with the publicity of the site. The Firefighter's Toy Program is one of those charities I always write a check to. Of course, I was happy to put links from all my sites, immediately. Then it occurred to me how my web enterprise could help. To aid the Red Cross from the Memorial Shirt sales didn't require much brain power, either.
Remember: When you wear your gear, you are on your honor to never misrepresent yourself. Just as wearing a football jersey doesn't make you a quarterback, identifying yourself honestly - firefighter, volunteer, fan - always increases your stature. Really! I have many stories to tell about identifying myself correctly - as a SFFD Disasater volunteer - while wearing SFFD Gear, has made me new friends. Always wear your gear with pride - the SFFD has a great many reasons to be proud, and you should be proud to be a fan or volunteer for them!
Intermission: Volunteering is easy, by the way. It's as simple as attending six short *free* training classes. Then two drills per year, That's it! Go to the NERT organization link (on the "links" page), for the complete scoop. It's actually FUN, and you never have to be helpless again. You'll be able to help in all kinds of emergencies, small, large and disastrous. I can vouch for an improved posture when you're a volunteer: You walk a bit taller, knowing you can handle almost anything. Don't be Inert - Be A NERT! Now, back to the program....
As everyone who knows me is aware, I'm a volunteer with the SFFD as a member of their Neighborhood Emergency Response Team (NERT) program. I served on their Board for many more years than I was supposed to! I also volunteer with the San Francisco Office of Emergency Services (O.E.S.) Auxiliary Communications Service (ACS). For street clothing, I have a preference for S.F.F.D. shirts and Polos. (Yes, I was activated on 9-11. OES-ACS called us, and I stood by with a belt full of both professional and amateur radios at a police location).
That said, here is a TRUE STORY about why telling the truth about who you are, when wearing your gear, is so important:
In 1999, I was on my way to a camp-out and had stopped for supplies and groceries in the small town of Rocklin, CA. I was wearing an SFFD polo shirt. "God bless you", said the checker, looking at my shirt, "You're a Fireman"! "
Ahh, I'm not a Firefighter", I replied and proceeded to tell her that I was a trained volunteer with just enough knowledge to be of service and to know that I know very little of what a professional firefighter needs to know."Well, Bless you twice, then," She replied, "You do what you do, and you do it for free"!
I walked out of that grocery store, feeling pretty big and very special. All because I had simply told the truth to a stranger. I DO do what I do, for free - and I'm proud of what I do and have done - but I don't pretend to be someone I'm not. I do know enough , though, to give all due respect. I've even earned some respect from some Firefighters, which I value and cherish.
Since then, I have learned, donned and breathed through a Scott, learned how to handle a 2-1/2" ready line at 95 pounds (you need friends) with both a solid and fog stream, can handle a hydrant connection, know how to handle a Gleason and install it on a high pressure hydrant, and even how to manually introduce Ashbury Tank pressure into SF's lower zone. You can put a ready line in my hands and ask me to protect the "B" exposure - I can do that. I have even served as a Chief's operator at a fireground, in a pinch. Does that make me a Firefighter?
No, it does not. That makes me a possible assistant.The difference is: while I know how to use a Scott and handle a ready line, it's a far different matter to do both at the same time in an environment that wants to kill you. Especially at 3:00 AM, when you were asleep at 2:57 AM.
I guess that this is the reason this site exists at all. I LIKE to wear the "team" clothing of my favorites: SFFD!
Here's a bit of "insider" info I've learned. You've read this far, it's time for a reward. Firefighters are jokesters. They joke and prank all the time. The way I've learned to know they like me is when they let me climb their tower unescorted, and when they tell me "Don't fall. We would just have to hose your remains away, and deny ever having seen you. Besides, water is expensive". Or, "That radio of yours needs a storage spot? How about that big red dumpster in the back"?
What they NEVER joke about: People hurt, burned or otherwise victimized by fire, property that was lost to fire and people who set fires. Fortunately, I've always known that, and never made one of those faux pas.
If you are ever invited to a meal at a firehouse, by all means accept - it's their ultimate acceptance of you and your mission. Be prepared - and always offer - to pay your fair share for the meal. If they accept, pay up. If they decline, pay up anyway. Buy a house shirt or pay your house dues for the day. If they decline both of those alternatives, (they Really, Really like you then), pay your money to the Firefighter's Toy Program.. By the way, your help with doing the dishes will be appreciated. You may be the odd cog in a well oiled machine, but your efforts will be appreciated.
In the end, WHEN the BIG ONE hits (and it's when, not if), I hope to be able to do THE MOST GOOD FOR THE MOST PEOPLE, (AND 95% of that job will have been done in advance). If I can't do the remaining 5% of that job, I stand prepared to make sure my Family and Children are safe and survive. As for anything else - Failure is NOT an option A new beginning, maybe..
This site is not endorsed, approved, reviewed nor authorized by the San Francisco Fire Department - nor anybody else, for that matter. Bill is not a firefighter, He is a member of two civilian disaster preparedness and response agencies, including the SFFD's. Bill works closely with firefighters, both in helping to prepare and respond to disasters, and in the making of most of the Gear.