For the seventh year in a row Burnaby firefighters proved they can shake their boots like no other.
The local fire department, which was recently honoured at Muscular Dystrophy Canada’s firefighters awards banquet, raised $45,000 for the charity during its 2013 Fill the Boot drive, earning the award for top single boot drive in B.C.
“It just speaks of the pride that our department has in muscular dystrophy,” said Derek Cousins, a Burnaby firefighter and one of the organizers of the annual event. “Everybody supports it; everybody is out there.”
The Fill the Boot event raises money for Muscular Dystrophy Canada’s various provincial chapters. The funds raised go towards research into the disease and equipment for those already diagnosed.
To be able to support an organization that helps people who aren’t able to do many of the things firefighters are lucky enough to be able to do, is a great thing, Cousins added.
“Firefighters see themselves as more fit individuals, active in exercise, sports, and muscular dystrophy is a disease that affects the lifestyle of the clients so they can’t do any of that stuff,” he said.
Muscular dystrophy is a neuromuscular disorder often caused by genetic mutations passed down through generations. Most often it affects young children but can also present itself in adults as well, according to Muscular Dystrophy Canada.
People diagnosed with the disorder eventually lose muscle strength, leaving them without the ability to do many things most people take for granted, including walking and breathing.
Cousins has participated in the Fill the Boot drive every year since becoming a Burnaby firefighter seven years ago, and for the past three years he has sat on the boot drive’s organizing committee overseeing the daylong fundraising event.
“For the boot drive, it’s not mandatory but it kind of goes without saying that everybody does do it, and all the time out there on the street is volunteer,” he said.
Starting at 5 p.m. on Nov. 21 and running until about 6 p.m. on Nov. 22, Burnaby firefighters will turn up the heat once again for the 2014 Fill the Boot drive. Cousins said he hopes the department will continue to raise top dollars for Muscular Dystrophy Canada.
“We only have the intention to try and make it better and just continue to raise funds,” Cousins said.
For more information on the upcoming fundraiser, visit the group’s Facebook page at “Burnaby Firefighters for Muscular Mystrophy.”
