T-shirts flying off the shelves to benefit Bryan firefighters' families

This photo provided by the City of Bryan shows firefighter Ricky Mantey Jr., who is being treated for burns at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. (AP Photo/City of Bryan) This photo provided by the City of Bryan shows firefighter Ricky Mantey Jr., who is being treated for burns at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. (AP Photo/City of Bryan) Photo: HOPD Photo: HOPD Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close T-shirts flying off the shelves to benefit Bryan firefighters' families 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

With requests coming in from across the country and overseas, T-shirt sales to benefit families of Bryan's injured and fallen firefighters are booming, organizers say.

"We've sold about 3,000 and expect to sell another 2,000 tonight," said Rhett Filkin, a firefighter who's part of an organization called Protection Co. Number One.

In addition to those 5,000 shirts, the group has another 5,000 on order, he said.

Harking back to one of the Bryan Fire Department's earlier names, Protection Co. Number One now sponsors various events, including those supporting firefighters and their families, Filkin said.

Since Feb. 20, the group has been selling T-shirts at $20 each to raise funds for families of two firefighters who died and two who were injured in a Feb. 15 late-night fire at Bryan's Knights of Columbus Hall.

Those who died were Lt. Eric Wallace and Lt. Gregory Pickard. Injured in the blaze were Firefighter Ricky Mantey Jr.and probationary firefighter Mitchel Moran, who are receiving treatment at University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston.

A van full of firefighters and friends makes the three-hour trip every day from Bryan to Galveston to visit Mantey and Moran, Filkin said.

The group is planning to take 2,000 shirts to sell Wednesday night at Shipwreck Grill in Bryan.

"My best hope is that I'll run out of shirts," said Filkin, who sold seven shirts while doing a telephone interview with a reporter.

He acknowledged the efforts of his wife, Shanna, and the Friends and Family Group from Protection Company No. One.

"They have been the workhorses behind the scenes," he said.

Monograms and More, the College Station company that is printing the shirts, has also been a big help, he said.

"I can't praise them enough at how great they've been on the fast turnaround," Filkin said.

Brian Pendergraff, an owner at Monograms and More, said sales have exceeded initial expectations but the company's 23 employees are keeping up with the orders.

"People aren't ordering one (shirt)," Pendergraff said. "They're ordering three, five, 10. You're getting a lot of group orders at one time."

Filkin said the response reflects the tight-knit community among firefighters worldwide as well as the fact that College Station has the world-renowned Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service's Brayton Fire Training Field.

"We end up building relationships and friendships that span the world," he said. "On top of that, every firefighter in the world faces the same risks. If you walk into a fire station and say, 'I'm a firefighter,' you're definitely one of the brothers."

To order T-shirts, visit protectbfd.org and click on the link on the home page.