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Jacksonville firefighter and Firehouse Subs co-founder Chris Sorensen dies at 65
Chris Sorensen, who helped build Firehouse Subs into a national chain, died Oct. 11 at his home. His public safety foundation has awarded more than $118 million in grants to emergency service departments.
Chris Randall Sorensen, a Jacksonville firefighter who co-founded Firehouse Subs and helped establish a major source of support for emergency responders, died Oct. 11 at age 65. He died peacefully at home, surrounded by family, according to his obituary.
Born in Jacksonville on Oct. 16, 1960, Sorensen had lived in St. Johns County for about 30 years. His career moved from professional music to firefighting and entrepreneurship.
Before entering the fire service, Sorensen worked as a musician and guitarist, performing with bands including Earth, Wind & Fire, Lonestar, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Huey Lewis and the News, and Foreigner. He later followed his father into firefighting, serving with the Brevard County Fire Department and the Jacksonville International Airport Fire and Rescue Department before joining Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department. He worked there for more than a decade as an engineer and emergency medical technician.
In 1994, Sorensen and his brother Robin opened the first Firehouse Subs, combining their interest in food with the family’s connection to public safety. Over the next 27 years, the brothers expanded the business to more than 1,200 locations and more than $1 billion in annual system sales. Restaurant Brands International acquired the chain in 2021.
Sorensen also co-founded the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation in 2005. The organization has since distributed more than $118 million in grants to about 7,700 fire, police and other public safety departments in the United States and Canada. His obituary describes the foundation as his most meaningful professional achievement.
A celebration of life is scheduled for 10 a.m. Friday, Oct. 23, at The Church of Eleven22 on Longleaf Pine Parkway in St. Johns County. The family requests donations in lieu of flowers to the Eric Sorensen Motor Speech Program at Brooks Rehabilitation or the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation.