Built by one of their own

1st Responder Cards is run by Jim Mergenthaler — a firefighter/paramedic with 11 years on the job in Central Florida.

He started it for a simple reason: the card aisle doesn't have a section for this life. The birthdays that land mid-shift, the retirements after decades of calls, the academy graduations, the thank-yous owed to a crew that showed up on somebody's worst day — a generic card doesn't say any of that the way it should be said.

So these cards are written the way crews actually talk: about 60% funny, 40% dark, and always respectful of the job. Things you would not find in a store, because a store doesn't know the job.

The name is the promise: First Due — on scene, the first due is the unit that shows up first. These are the cards that show up first: on time, on target, and written for the person getting them.

1st Responder Cards is a Mergify Studios brand, built and run in Central Florida.