The intersection of Greenback Lane and Sunrise Avenue in Citrus Heights was once again bustling with activity as drivers and pedestrians dropped cash and checks into the boots of 200 Sacramento Metro fire firefighters over a four-day period during the annual “Fill the Boot” drive.

Once again, those dollars added up to another record year. Rachel Crowell, Assistant Director of the Firefighters Burn Institute (FFBI), said in an email, “Preliminary figures are in and it looks like we broke another record this year! Over the course of the Boot Drive (February 9-12) we raised a record high of approximately $149,000 for burn survivors.”

The Sacramento Area Fire Fighters Pipes & Drums Band and the Local 522 Honor Guard were part of opening ceremonies. Councilwomen Jeannie Bruins welcomed attendees.

Besides collecting donations for the Firefighters Burn Institute at U.C. Davis, a free family friendly Safety Fair on Saturday in the Sunrise Mall parking lot gave children and their families a good taste of what law enforcement and other safety programs do to help and protect the public. The helicopter landings, vehicle extractions with the jaws of life, and fire truck rides around the perimeter of the mall were fun and educational for all members of the family. Kids put out fires with extinguishers, and learned when and how to call 911.

According to the UC Davis website, “The burn treatment center is the largest in Northern CA. Formerly called the UC Davis Regional Burn Center, the new center reflects the name of the FFBI, which raised $2m through the ‘Fill the Boot’ and other fundraising efforts to make this new expanded burn center at UC Davis Medical Center a reality.” The new facility is 13,000 square feet and has 12 ICU beds in private rooms. The Shriner’s Hospital for Children Northern California also benefits through research and training of staff in burn treatment.

Forest Rowell, Battalion Chief with Metro Fire and an advisory board member of FFBI said at the site, “The last couple of days have been amazing, it’s incredible to see the amount of money people are pulling out, everyone has been very generous. What’s been so great this year versus other years, is so many people driving by but couldn’t stop, but are taking time to stop, turn around, come back into the parking lot or gas station to donate. It shows how dedicated the citizens of Sacramento County are to donating.”

Jonathan Williams, Battalion Chief, City of Sacramento who oversaw the food and volunteers agreed saying, “Each year we’ve been doing better and better, get more participation from fire fighters, and more support from the community. People don’t realize when they put money in a boot, they might be helping themselves if something happens down the road and they get burned.”

Five girl scouts and their mothers from Troop 1544 and Troop 889 made the trip from Shingle Springs to help wherever needed. It was an exciting experience for them and they are planning to return.

A special thank for help in putting on this four-day event goes to Duarte Construction, Regional Builder Inc., Sunstate Equipment Co, Granite Construction, IBEW Local 1245, ModSpace, City of Citrus Heights, Sunrise Mall, US Bank, Happy Daze RV’s and Big Dog Transport.

FFBI founded in 1973 by Sacramento Area Fire Fighters Local 522, has grown into the area’s largest firefighter-run charity. It 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 two annual summer camps for young burn survivors.