Great Gift for Firefighters: Firefighter Monopoly

I love board games. FireDad also loves board games. We’re kind of dorky awesome in that way. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you are probably familiar with the game Monopoly. You may also be aware that they’ve been releasing customized versions of the game for the past few years. We recently got our hands on the Firefighters Edition and, I must say, we’re ablaze with love for it. (Punny!)

FireDad and I sat down one Friday night to give it a go. It had been awhile so we familiarized ourselves with the rules. The customizations for the firefighter game were amusing to the both of us. Houses and hotels were fire stations and headquarters. We also had Flashover and Backdraft cards instead of Chance and Community Chest. A 9-1-1 tax, membership and union dues stood out as well. Places to be purchased were also fun fire related names like Probie Place and Fire Chief Avenue. Furthermore, the pieces to play with were fire specific: a boot, a fire engine, a flashlight, a helmet, a fire hydrant and a dalmatian. FireDad chose the truck while I went with the fire hydrant.

We had a great time playing our first time through this edition of Monopoly. We laughed at some of the Backdraft and Flashover cards. In fact, one of my favorites was one that FireDad pulled. He still hasn’t earned his Stork Pin yet so he wasn’t equally as moved.

We had some good laughs over the course of our game, both fire related and simply at ourselves. In the end, FireDad ended up winning because he bought up some land that I kept landing on every single time. I’d challenge him to another match but I don’t think it was luck. He’s just good.

The question remains: would I recommend this as a gift for a firefighter? Maybe for Christmas, a birthday or a fire service anniversary? I would. Most definitely. It’s running right around $40, plus or minus shipping depending on which online retailer you use for your purchase. FireAwards.com has it listed for $39.95 right now (12/7). That might seem steep for some but it’s one of those gifts that will get more use than, say, a firefighter figurine on a shelf. This is something that can be enjoyed by the firefighter and the entire fire family. Forty bucks for a lifetime of family togetherness and laughter seems like an alright price to me!

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[Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this game from Gary at FireAwards.com in exchange for a published review of the game and a link.]