Fighting Waste and Wildfires with the American Fire Co
Fighting Waste and Wildfires with the American Fire Co
BY SYDNEY FLUKER
PHOTOS BY JENNIFER DEBARROS PHOTOGRAPHY
It started with an excess of fire hoses.
Kayla Cartelli and Michael “Mike” Rideout had only been dating for a year when Rideout sent Cartelli to a firehouse auction to pick up a couple pallets of houses. A miscommunication between the two saw Cartelli proudly walk out of the auction with around a dozen pallets.
Rideout had recently begun selling American flags he made out of fire hoses (hence the auction purchase), but the two found themselves needing to get creative to repurpose the sheer amount of old hoses they now owned.
Soon after, American Fire Co. was born.
The Cartelli Rideouts began their business in the basement and soon moved it to the two-story garage Mike built as an office space. In the fall of 2021, the couple officially moved their business to a 6000 square foot warehouse in Airway Heights.
American Fire Co. has sold to all 50 states and over 10 countries, even selling to a wholesale retailer in Australia at one point. Though it started as a retail shop, American Fire Co. has since expanded its offerings to include other facets of wildland firefighting.
The Cartelli Rideouts employ 10 to 15 wildland firefighters during the summer to help with their three Type 6 fire trucks, which they started in 2019. They have a contact with the Forest Service to provide assistance when needed, keeping them busy during summer fire season.
“I’ve worked in the private sector and I was also a volunteer firefighter,” Mike says. “I worked my way up and had the aspiration of starting my own truck, and then in 2019 we finally got to start one. It’s led from there — we’ve added all these things, now it’s about how can we make things better? What else can we provide?”
Trying to answer those questions led them to adding wildland firefighter training to their list of offerings. Mike leads courses for various levels of experience, and they bring in instructors when needed to train firefighters in other areas.
The American Fire Co. also operates American Fire Cache, one of five wildland specific equipment stores in the nation with the next closest being in Missoula, Montana.
During the winter, Kayla and Michael manage the business by themselves, handling Christmas orders and managing their warehouse. Kayla says their overall goal is having their business be diverse enough to support their family year round while serving as a helpful resource for the community.
“We’re not just sales people. Our job is to help people get what they need and help them succeed,” Kayla says. “At the end of the day, that’s way more sustainable than selling the most expensive tool.”
Along with a community-oriented business model, the couple donates a portion of their profits to firefighter and 9/11 related charities.
The two take pride in their ability to separate the business from their personal lives, even managing to maintain their weekly date tradition dating back to their first year together.
“What’s important when you have a relationship with somebody is being intentional about giving your full attention to that person, whether it’s a spouse, parent, sibling, friend — just being intentional about that time,” Mike says.
“Honestly, though, it’s all we’ve really ever known as far as running a business with each other,” Kayla says. “At the end of the day, our goals are aligned … We can create the lifestyle that we want.”
When we sit at our table we then work to honor each creature that is present. The creatures that are known as farmers, that have grown the food, the creatures whose lives make up the food (both plant and animal), the creatures that come as they are to enjoy the food and the creatures that have so lovingly prepared it. This narrative reminds us of our interconnectedness, in life, in death and in the case of this conversation, the table.
This drive towards interconnectedness has informed my work with and in the food industry. It has served as a foundation for how we approach hospitality and community in our home. It fuels me as a farmer who grows and produces food as I see myself in direct service to my crops and animals, ensuring that they have access to an ultimately nourished life.
This fall and winter, I want to invite you to invest in a nourished table with us. Tables that honor all who are brave enough to come as they are with their own stories and experiences, recognizing that these narratives impact how each of us is able to receive and provide nourishment. Let’s create tables that approach these realities with kindness and curiosity that desire to love and be loved. I want to encourage you to remember that each of us has plenty to be nourished by through the interactions and moments we share with one another, realizing that we all have something to offer through our presence. Our interactions alone provide ample nourishment as we share through tears or laughter, a smile or a story.
Join me in honoring the many creatures that are represented in and through the table this season. Offering gratitude and welcome to the farmers and animals, your family and friends and all the many others that you may encounter through the hustle and bustle that threatens to overwhelm this time of year. And instead, may you pour yourself a glass of your favorite beverage, make a warm meal, no matter how simple and enjoy the nourishment that this beautiful life has to offer.
Cheers to you and yours,
Farmer Jess