Spokane Bootmaker Gives Firefighters $600 Boots for Free

When wildfires began raging through Spokane, Washington on August 1st, destroying 900 structures and forcing thousands to evacuate, JK Boots knew exactly what to do. The local work boot manufacturer immediately transformed their headquarters into a refuge for the firefighters defending their hometown.

"Hot coffee. Hot food. A place to wash up, cool off, and rest," the company announced on social media. Their break room became a recharge station where exhausted crews could catch their breath between shifts.

But JK Boots owner Tim Khadzhi saw something that hit him hard. Firefighters were showing up with boots held together by duct tape, soles completely melted off from the intense heat, borrowing too-small shoes from friends. These were the people running toward the flames to save his community.

So the company made a decision. They'd start giving away their handmade wildland fire boots, which retail for $575 to $700, completely free. Their initial goal was 50 pairs, worth $25,000.

They blew past that target in days.

"We're just going to keep going," Khadzhi told The Spokesman-Review. "I don't know when it's going to stop." The company has been making these specialized boots in Spokane for 20 years, and now the fight had come to their own streets.

At a command post set up at Mt. Spokane High School, mountains of tattered, duct-taped boots began piling up as firefighters traded them for brand new pairs. One crew member named Kenny had been working weeks in failing boots before JK Boots fitted him with a new pair. He walked around kicking his feet out, showing everyone with a smile that couldn't quit.

For some younger firefighters, a $600 pair of boots represents half a month's wages. "It's really something," Brad Smith from California's incident management team said, watching Spokane residents rally around firefighters even after losing everything themselves.

The Ripple Effect

Word spread fast. People across the country started asking how they could help, so JK Boots created a "Sponsor A Firefighter" option on their website for $624.99. Supporters can include an encouraging message with each pair of boots they sponsor.

"We are not marketing this. We are not advertising it," the company explained. "The public built this, and all we did was answer."

Local volunteers showed up with bulk supplies. The community kept pouring in support. What started as one business asking "How can we help?" became what Khadzhi calls "one of the most meaningful weeks in our company's history."

"With this disaster hitting our hometown, when it's so close, it just feels a lot different," Khadzhi said. When your neighbors need you, you show up.