The Burnaby Fire Department's annual Fill the Boot campaign routinely leads the province when comes to raising money for Muscular Dystrophy Canada, but those efforts took on a new meaning this year.
"We're going for it even more motivated because one of our members, Brad Smyth, has been personally affected by muscular dystrophy," said Derek Cousins, a Burnaby firefighter and boot drive organizer. "This year his young son, Christian was diagnosed, and obviously the department's embracing that and coming around him with even more support."
On Feb. 14, local firefighters handed over $48,000 to Muscular Dystrophy Canada, a national agency committed to eliminating neuromuscular disorders and alleviating distress for those who suffer from them.
Every November, local firefighters stake out various locations around the city and carry around empty boots for a 24-hour period for passersby to fill with cash.
Since 1958, when the Burnaby department first got involved, local firefighters have raised more than $1.18 million - earning awards for the top single boot drive in British Columbia every year since 2008, according to Cousins.
"We're the department all the other departments are after," he said.
When asked what the Fill the Boot campaign means to local firefighters, Cousins said, "Tradition, pride - the day you get hired, you're told that that's the one that you sign up for. You do not miss the boot drive. That goes from the guy that just got hired to our union presidents, our chiefs - everyone's out there shaking the boot."
The BFD Muscular Dystrophy Committee would like to thank all the firefighters who volunteered, Cousins said, and the residents of Burnaby for once again supporting the cause.
For more information about the boot drive, check out the Burnaby Firefighters for Muscular Dystrophy Facebook page at www.facebook.com/BFDMD.
