About Above The Fireline

Above The Fireline is aircraft-specific wildland fire aviation designs for the people behind the mission. Not general outdoor merch. Not generic fire imagery. Designs built around the actual platforms — the air tankers, scoopers, SEATs, helicopters, and air attack aircraft that work wildland fire — for the pilots, ATGSs, dispatchers, mechanics, helitack crews, tanker base personnel, and everyone else who knows what’s overhead and why it matters.

From the Fireline.

Twenty-five years in wildland fire. Hotshot crew, superintendent, battalion chief, division chief, operations section chief — then the right seat of an air attack platform, where the whole fire comes into view at once. The Air Tactical Group Supervisor is the link between every aircraft working a fire and the incident commander on the ground — coordinating airspace, managing air traffic, directing drops, and keeping aircraft and firefighters safe in some of the most congested and demanding airspace in aviation. You see every platform. You know what each one does, what it costs to put it on a fire, and what it looks like when it works.

Above The Fireline started because the domain already existed, the app was already built, and the designs seemed worth making. No boardroom. No brand strategy. Just someone who’s been on the line, watched these aircraft work a fire from above, and never stopped being impressed by what they do.

I am not a seasoned ATGS — I am always learning, always inspired by the people doing the hard work. I have a deep appreciation for the ground. I’ve been there, hiked those hills, looked up at the aircraft working overhead. Now that I am up, that respect hasn’t changed — for everyone on the fire, on the line, and above it.

As experience builds and perspectives shift, so does the way I try to work. What I enjoy most about the ATGS position is that I get to work alongside the crews doing the hard work again — ground resources, pilots, everyone on the incident. I am in a position to influence their outcome. To get them the support they need, to give them the view they need to build their plan.

That is what Above The Fireline is built around. Not the résumé. The quiet respect.

Why Specificity Matters

There is a lot of wildland fire merch out there. Some of it is well made. Most of it leans on drip torches, skulls, and generic fire silhouettes that could belong to any brand. What is harder to find is designs that get the aircraft right — that show a CL-415 scooping a lake instead of a vague twin-engine shape, or a Dash 8-400AT recognizable by its turboprop profile instead of a blurred stock image. The people who fly and support these aircraft notice when it is wrong. Above The Fireline is built on getting it right.

Every design in the collection starts with an understanding — real aircraft, correct configurations, accurate operational context. The CL-415 drops water, not retardant. The AC690 has no tank. The AT-802F SEAT and the Fire Boss share an airframe but are completely different aircraft in operation. These details are not small things to the community this brand is built for.

Who It’s For

Pilots, Air Tactical Group Supervisors, dispatchers, air tanker base managers, mechanics, helitack crews, smokejumpers, UAS operators, ground crews with an eye on the air, and anyone who has stood on a ridge watching a Super Scooper work a lake and felt that particular kind of respect for the machine and the people flying it. Firefighters show pride quietly. A sticker on a water bottle. A hat with sweat stains. A subtle nod to the craft. That is what this is for.

What’s in the Collection

The collection includes color badge stickers, line art stickers, enamel mugs, trucker hats, and apparel — built around specific aircraft across the fixed-wing tanker, rotary wing, scooper, air attack, and UAS fleets. New platforms and product types are added as artwork is completed. Every product is made to order through Printful — printed when you buy it, no overstock, no waste.

Contact

Questions, product issues, or design ideas can be sent through our Contact Us page.