MY STORY - CHRIS MCPARLAND
I started my fire career in Arizona in 2017 and was the first person in my family to become a firefighter.
Before that, I grew up playing ice hockey, and looking back, I think that explains a lot. I always loved being part of a team: the locker room, the friendships, the trash talk, and knowing the people around you were counting on you.
The fire service felt familiar in that way. The station became another locker room.
I also loved the medical side of the job and the responsibility that came with it. There’s something powerful about showing up on someone’s worst day and knowing you have to be ready to perform at your best.
Over the years, I completed three fire academies, paramedic school, became an engineer, and am now assigned to our department’s ladder truck. I’ve also spent time on our wildland team responding across Arizona and California.
NONE OF THIS HAPPENS ALONE
I’ve been with my wife, Alicia, since 2014. We got married in 2017 and now have two kids, Addyson and Liam.
My wife, my kids, my parents, family, and friends have been the support system behind every step of this journey.
Truthfully, I wouldn’t be here without them.
That support became a huge part of why Station Beer exists and eventually led to one of the ideas we want this company to always stand for:
BACKED BY FAMILY.
WHY STATION BEER
Station Beer came from everyday life at the firehouse.
Coffee had its place. Energy drinks had their place. Electrolytes had their place. Sparkling water had its place.
But we wanted better options made specifically for the way firefighters actually live.
Something refreshing. Functional. Easy to drink. Made for long shifts, hard training, recovery, and everything in between.
Around the station, we jokingly called the sparkling waters in the fridge “Station Beers.”
The name stuck.
So we built the drinks to match it.
WHAT WE’RE BUILDING
Station Beer is firefighter-owned functional sparkling water built for firefighters, first responders, and anyone who lives a high-output life.
But the goal is bigger than drinks.
We want to build something that feels like part of firefighter culture, supports firefighter families and health initiatives, and gives back to the community that helped build us.
