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IndependenceEmbroidery

Fire Service

“At the drop of a bell you get into turnout gear, you get on the bus, and you get to the problem.”

— John Larson, founder

Independence Embroidery is owned and operated by a retired Missouri state firefighter.

That is not a marketing line. It means the person who quotes your job has worn the gear, and learned the trade from people who knew it. He learned how structures are built, so he could get through one quickly and reach whoever or whatever was on the other side of the wall. He qualified as a HazMat operator, and learned what it takes to mitigate a problem before it reaches people. He served as a FEMA incident commander, holding an event together until someone more qualified arrived to take it.

He learned what the job costs. Time. Sacrifice. Exposure to trauma that does not leave when the shift ends. That is where the respect for public service on this site comes from, and it extends to every branch of it.

He is retired. He is still ready to serve, and this shop is one of the ways he does it.

The owner of Independence Embroidery wearing an embroidered name patch and a thin red line flag patch on a black jacket.
The owner, wearing his own name patch and a thin red line flag.

What that means when you order

You will not have to explain what a company officer’s rank looks like, or why the name tape on turnout gear has to survive what turnout gear survives, or why a memorial patch is not a rush job.

You will not be sold something cheaper than what you asked for.

A navy hooded sweatshirt with large embroidered block letters across the shoulders, made by Independence Embroidery in Owensville, Missouri.
Station wear. Block letters across the shoulders, road name at the collar.

The red line

Red is the fire service color in the code we use with riding organizations. If your department also rides, or your members carry their service onto a vest, the red service line is how that reads across a parking lot.

  • Embroidered shield, red service line, made by Independence Embroidery in Owensville, Missouri.
  • Embroidered service flag, red service line, made by Independence Embroidery in Owensville, Missouri.
  • Embroidered Give Respect Get Respect patch, red service line, made by Independence Embroidery in Owensville, Missouri.

The full six-color system is explained on the Motorcycle Club Colors page.

An Owensville, Missouri Fire Department emblem and a name embroidered directly onto a black leather jacket.
Owensville Fire Department, stitched straight onto the leather. The name on it is the owner's.

What departments order

  • Department shoulder patches
  • Name tapes
  • Rank insignia
  • Company and station patches
  • Event and academy patches
  • Memorial patches
An embroidered shield badge patch for the Owensville, Missouri Fire Department, stitched in grey, white and red.
An Owensville Fire Department badge patch.

Memorial patches

These we take slowly, and we ask more questions than you expect. A memorial patch is worn for decades by people who knew the person. It is the one job where getting it fast matters less than getting it right.

Tell us who it is for. We will take it from there.

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