FIREFIGHTERS AT FIREHOUSE SUBS WHO INSPIRE US: MEET LYRIC CAIN

In honor of International Firefighters’ Day on May 4, we are recognizing some of our amazing active and volunteer firefighter families who are an integral part of the Firehouse Subs system, a restaurant brand founded by former firefighting brothers Chris Sorensen and Robin Sorensen. This is part 2 of 5.

Working as a full-time firefighter at Macclenny Fire-Rescue and helping her dad out at his Firehouse Subs restaurant keeps Lyric Cain busy to say the least. She’s the proud daughter of franchisee Jeremy Cain, who owns and operates two Firehouse Subs restaurants in Macclenny, Florida and Lake City, Florida, both of which celebrate their 10-year anniversaries in 2021. See below for what being a firefighter means to her!

What or who inspired you to become a firefighter? 

I moved to Florida five years ago from Illinois to live with my family permanently and work at my family's Firehouse Subs restaurants. When I saw the close personal relationship my dad had with our local first responders that saved his life, I had no doubt in what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Being able to meet and become close with the people that saved his life was pretty amazing. I got to be a part of giving back to our local first responders who do so much for our community and have done so much for my family personally. Participating in Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation donation events and building relationships with first responders was one of the best parts of my job at our Firehouse Subs.

What is the name of the department you work for and how long have you served the organization? 

I work for Macclenny Fire-Rescue, starting there part time in August 2020 and becoming a full-time firefighter in December 2020. I love my job and appreciate being able to serve and protect my local community.

What’s your favorite part about being a firefighter? 

My favorite part about being a firefighter is helping those in need. We all work hard together to serve and protect a great community and stick by each other’s sides no matter what. 

What’s your favorite part about working for/helping out at your father's Macclenny restaurant? 

My favorite part about helping out at my father’s restaurant is fulfilling customers’ needs and putting a smile on their face, no matter how their day has gone. I love working with the employees and showing them what Firehouse Subs is all about and how much it means to me and my family, how we serve our community and how to give the best customer service to make sure our customers leave happy and with a smile. I love being able to see how many people care about giving back to our Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation to help our first responders. Being a part of raising money to help first responders makes my job at Firehouse Subs very rewarding.

What’s one thing that most people don’t know about you?

One thing most people don’t know about me is my determination to succeed. No matter how hard something is, I try my best and push through whatever it is to be able to succeed. I don’t like giving up. My parents have taught me that failure is not an option; either I succeed at my goals or I learn from my journey. I always will do my best to keep moving forward and work my hardest to get the job done and reach my goals.

What was your proudest moment as a firefighter? Biggest accomplishment? 

My proudest moment and accomplishment was getting hired as a full-time firefighter at the fire department that saved my Dad’s life more than once. Being a part of the department that saved his life means so much to me. 

What are some words of advice or encouragement for future firefighters? 

Words of advice I have for future firefighters would be to push through any challenges and do not give up. Work your hardest and do your best. Never say “I can’t” because you can as your mind tends to quit before your body does. If you love this career, then fight for it and never give up. There are people that need your help and as a firefighter, you can never give up and you can never quit because that means you have let your team or the person in need down. So fight through it, get the job done and save lives.

What is one thing that the general public is not aware of about being a first responder, firefighter, etc.?

One thing that the general public is not aware of about being a first responder and firefighter is that we don’t just save lives but we also always try to help our community with whatever the current need is in whatever way we can. Sometimes that is responding to calls, being calm in an emergency, or sometimes just listening to people to see what we can do to help them in a bad situation.

Are there any similarities between being a firefighter and working in Firehouse Subs? If so, what? 

Yes, there are similarities between being a firefighter and working in Firehouse Subs. At both places, we work as a TEAM to serve our community and we make sure we do our best to make people feel happy, comfortable, and safe. Our customers and patients are the most important thing to me as a firefighter and as an employee at Firehouse Subs. The people we serve are what I care about the most whether it’s helping them in a time of need as a firefighter or serving them hot and hearty food while trying to make them smile when they visit our restaurants.

What’s your favorite Firehouse Sub? 

New York SteamerⓇ