IT STARTED AT
LOS ANGELES CITY
FIRE STATION 89
It all started one day at fire
station 89 in North Hollywood, California, sometime during 1989. Someone came into the
station seeking information on how and where to purchase fire department uniforms and
helmet shields for an upcoming movie. The problem was solved as far as the uniforms but it
seems that the helmet shields presented another problem. A source was found but it was
going to take eight weeks or more for delivery.
Sam Brown was working at 89’s and
made a statement that he thought he could manufacture the shields within a week. An order
was placed that day for 30 shields. Sam set out and found the leather, made the patterns,
and proceeded to construct one shield for confirmation. When he delivered it he was told
they didn’t want them because they had not gotten the contract to furnish the movie
industry with the props they needed.
Now the big question-- what was he
going to do with all that red leather? Sam had always wanted to have a shield from the
eight stations he had worked for since coming on the department in 1963. This gave him the
opportunity to do that.
The first ones he made was a little
rough and he used pig skin because he had not yet found a source for cow hide with the
right color red. Some of the firemen he worked with also wanted to collect shields from
the stations they had worked at so they ordered them from Sam. When he cut the leather he
would get down on the floor and cut them out with a stainless steel templet that he made
himself. He continued and with each one he learned and made improvements. He began to
acquire equipment with the profit he made, in fact all the profit went into acquiring
better equipment. His locker was the envy of the station (I suppose we should say lockers
because he had more than one). At any rate, with all the supplies he needed in his
lockersand his sewing machine in the electrical room in the back of the station he was
ready to do business.
While others watched T.V. in the
evening Sam was busy sewing shields and was always willing to use his machine to do
repairs and sew things for his fellow firefighters.
Word spread and firemen from other
departments started calling and ordering shields. |
BIG BREAK COMES WHEN
CITY OF GARDENA
ORDERS SAM’S SHIELDS
After working for 30 years and
retiring in 1993 a big break came when Chief Mailloux of the City of Gardena placed an
order for his department. The Chief was one of the first to recognize the quality of
workmanship in Sam’s shields. Because of that sale others heard and sought out
information and "Sam Brown Shields" came into being.
Sam has always prided himself in the
quality of his workmanship and the quality of the materials that goes into the production
of his shields. He also takes great pride in his ability to fill orders quickly and
customer satisfaction is a guarantee.
His shields have been purchased as
gifts for some "big names" in California such as President Ronald Reagan,
Governor Pete Wilson, Michael Eisner of Disneyland, and Cardinal Mahonie of the Los
Angeles Diocese.
From that small beginning in the
locker room at fire station 89, and with encouragement from fellow firefighters from LAFD
as well as other departments, his business continues to grow.
He operates now out of his home in
Nicholasville, KY. He has quite a set up in his basement and with the help of his family
he is able to produce large orders and have them delivered in record time. |
