FAQ

Why The Fire Center, LLC (also known as Fuego Fire Center)?

The Fire Center is viewed by many as a national leader in NFPA Services and PPE, Station Wear and firefighter gear sales. While continuing to compete with the niche players in these areas we have also created three additional offerings which makes us the most unique, full service provider of Firefighter Gear and Services. We are the only Company in the industry offering: Customized Manufacturing, Repair & Alterations and Personal Tags Services, Embroidery and Personalization Services. Being a privately-owned company which values true customer service, we marry the experience of our seamstresses, UL’s verification and our unequaled multitude of offerings you find a unique company with a strong national reputation as the best sales and service provider in the USA.

Our efforts are not stopping there. In our determination to best equip and serve firefighters we have heard that the buying process for gear was unnecessarily complex. So, we launched the first “My Fire Department” application to better serve our partners. In short, it provides fire departments the opportunity to have their own department specific store with approved gear and station wear available for easy access and ordering. Just select and click! It has eliminated unnecessary steps and cost by reducing the need to search through our store to find what you need or what is approved for you to purchase. Instead, you can be directed straight to your Fire Department through our proprietary application which provides you the full catalog of the gear, station wear, boots, helmets etc. that have been approved specifically for your Department.

What is the history of The Fire Center, LLC (also known as Fuego Fire Center)?

The story of The Fire Center begins with two Fire Departments in Texas. Joe Reyes, a thirty-year veteran of the military and a thirty-year firefighter with the Houston Fire Department joined in a partnership with Joe Hidrogo, an emergency management officer with the Austin Fire Department to form a fire department distribution company named Fuego International, LLC, in 2001. When NFPA 1851 was implemented in Texas in 2008 it was clear that there would be a significant demand for cleaning, inspection, alteration, and repair services and The Fire Center portion of the business was born and we have remained actively involved in the NFPA standards development process ever since.

In early 2019, The Fire Center, LLC (also known as Fuego Fire Center) was acquired by Hudson Bend Holdings a family owned global diversified company which owns and operates a diverse array of businesses, tapping into the broad expertise of its management team to support the delivery of best in class products and services to end users and consumers all over the world. With Fuego Fire Center, their core strategy has been to focus the business lines on strong market positions and to provide a world class customer experience for services and products. We value the reputation that Fuego built over 18 years and stay committed to maintaining our customer service focus, while improving the overall offering and convenience for Fire Departments across the USA.

Today, the new organization is viewed by many as a national leader in PPE distribution and equipment sales and one of the pioneers of NFPA 1851 Services offering.

Is The Fire Center, LLC (also known as Fuego Fire Center) Certified?

Yes. The seamstresses and inspectors for The Fire Center, LLC (also known as Fuego Fire Center)are highly skilled and average more than ten years of experience. The Fire Center is verified by UL. UL, Underwriters Laboratories, is the world leader in product safety and service safety testing and certification. When you marry the experience of our seamstresses with the verification of UL you have the best in service in the USA.

What are the Offerings of The Fire Center, LLC (also known as Fuego Fire Center)?

NFPA 1851 Services:

We provide fire departments a state-of-the-art advanced inspection, cleaning and repairs services that meets all the state requirements to help protect firefighters from future health risks while also lowering replacement rates and associated costs.

The Fire Center, LLC (also known as Fuego Fire Center) Store:

We launched a bespoke web store designed to specifically to equip and serve firefighters, not other professionals. It is streamlined and very focused on creating an easily navigable buying experience.

Firefighter Support Services:

We offer Repair & Alterations, Personal Tags Offerings and more recently have added Embroidery and Personalization Services. There is no other offering of services like this in the industry.

My Fire Department:

Our proprietary application that provides fire departments the opportunity to have their own department specific store with approved gear and station wear available for easy access and ordering with direct access to the right products.

Customized Manufacturing Services:

Using close to 20 years of knowledge and seamstresses who average more than ten years of experience, we are now often asked to create special products for fire departments and consumers across the country. Several are well known, including our children’s bunker gear set, turnout festival bags/cozies and our Fuego winter coats.

Why am I being charged tax for my purchase on your website?

The sales tax applied to your purchase is determined according to state and local laws and regulations. The specific tax rate is based upon the shipped from and shipped to information in your specific order. We are required by law to collect tax in all 50 states where sales tax is collected, and The Fire Center does business. We turn over all monies collected to the appropriate government agencies and we are audited by these agencies on a regular basis. The Fire Center does not profit from the collection of sales taxes. For our tax-exempt customers, state laws require us to have your signed tax exemption or resale certificate on file at our offices. We are required to charge you sales tax if we do not have this documentation. If your agency's online purchases are being taxed and you've already qualified for tax exempt status, please provide us a letter at info@fuegofirecenter.com..

Can I use PayPal?

YES! We are now offering PayPal as a form of payment. The order can't be split between PayPal and another form of payment and all items must be in compliance of PayPal's use policy (If you have a product on your order that violates their policy, the PayPal option will be unavailable).

Who owns and manages The Fire Center, LLC (also known as Fuego Fire Center)?

Since 2019, The Fire Center has owned by Hudson Bend Holdings a family owned global diversified company which owns and operates a diverse array of businesses, tapping into the broad expertise of its management team to support the delivery of best in class products and services to end users and consumers all over the world. With Fuego Fire Center, their core strategy has been to focus the business lines on strong market positions and to provide a world class customer experience for services and products.

The current Chief Executive Officer is Edward Batchelor. He is responsible for driving The Fire Center’s vision and long-term strategic direction and the introduction of the new technology and e-commerce relaunch. Batchelor has also been deeply involved in expanding the company’s sales, marketing, and service offerings across the country to help ensure customer success. With more than two decades of experience living and working in the United States, Australia, Venezuela, India, China and the United Kingdom, he has a vast track record of executive roles across the technology, consumer and private equity segments delivering strong growth and profitability, consulting and successfully turning around global companies.

Prior to this role, Edward served as CEO of Mooshu Trainers (a Hudson Bend Company) and was the Founder and Managing Partner of the award-winning management consulting firm Hardman Batchelor International until their acquisition by Hudson Bend Holdings. Previously, he was a Managing Director and Partner for two of the globes leading Management Consulting Firms working and living globally.

Earlier in his career, Edward was Global Head of Digital & E-Business at Humana Inc. He also served as Vice President, Sales & Marketing at Pacer International in Dublin. Earlier, Edward held a number of international executive roles at Dell Inc., including Executive Director of Sales in Xiamen, China, and executive-level marketing, e-business and services roles in Austin and New Delhi.

Edward holds a B.A. in Business Communications from the University of Colorado and an M.B.A. from Cornell University’s Johnson Graduate School of Management.