Firefighters volunteering to “Fill the Boot for Burns”  will be collecting donations to assure that the best possible burn treatment and burn recovery programs will continue to be available to anyone unfortunate enough to suffer a serious burn injury. Firefighters have held this unique fundraiser benefiting the Firefighters Burn Institute each February for the past 14 years. In addition to the location at Foresthill, over 50 fire agencies in 14 counties through Northern California will also be holding Firefighters “Fill the Boot for Burns” events.
     During President’s Day weekend over 200 off-duty firefighters from Sacramento City, Sacramento Metro, Stockton Fire and other local fire departments will spend four days and hundreds of hours shaking their boots and volunteering their time to collect donations at the intersection of Sunrise Blvd. and Greenback Lane in Citrus Heights to “Fill the Boot for Burns”. According to Patty Neifer, Executive Director of the Firefighters Burn Institute, “It is amazing how fast a few dollars at a time can add up to make a significant difference in the lives of those affected by the tragedy of a serious burn injury. The generous donations made by motorists driving by in northern California at last year’s boot drive totaled over $130,000. Every dollar dropped into the boot of a firefighter is important.”
     Donations collected during annual Boot Drives have made it possible for FFBI to pledge one million dollars toward the construction of a new Regional Burn Center at U.C. Davis Medical Center scheduled to open in 2010. The new 7,900 square foot, 12-bed burn unit will provide comprehensive care to burn patients throughout inland northern California, northwest Nevada and southern Oregon.
     The Firefighters Burn Institute (FFBI) was founded in 1973 by Sacramento Area Fire Fighters, Local 522 and has grown into the area’s largest firefighter-run charity. The Firefighters Burn Institute helped establish the first burn unit in Sacramento in 1974 and continues to donate medical equipment, fund burn research and provide free burn recovery programs, including an annual summer camp for young burn survivors and a new “Little Heroes” preschool burn camp scheduled for October.