Firefighters raise $15K by their bootstraps

By CARLOS VILLATORO
Register Staff Writer

Boots were made for walking, but on a damp Friday they found a different purpose for Napa city firefighters as they participated in this year’s Fill the Boot fundraising event to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA).

About a dozen firefighters volunteered to stand at the four corners of the intersection at Jefferson and Trancas streets and collect donations in empty boots. It didn’t take long, about half an hour, for firefighter Mike Fridolfs to fill his boot with cash.

As westbound Trancas Street motorists waited for the light to turn green, Fridolfs zipped up and down the street and collected funds.

“People give anything — from what’s in their ashtray to $50,” he said.

Firefighters began collecting donations around 9 a.m., and by the time they finished at 4 p.m., they gathered $14,500. Last year, Napa firefighters raised $12,000 to benefit the MDA. Napa City Firefighter Christopher Gilbert, who has organized Fill the Boot in Napa for the past six years, said that his department takes pride in raising funds each year.

“We try to break each year’s record,” he said with a smile. “The closer we do it to Christmas, the better we do.”

Gilbert said that if it weren’t for the many Napans who generously donate, they couldn’t call the event a success. Napa firefighters are among the best at raising funds in Northern California Fill the Boot events, said Kimberly Mueller, MDA spokeswoman. Fill the Boot events are held in conjunction with International Association of Fire Fighters chapters throughout the country and take place throughout the year.

“Napa has really done a good job,” she said. “The money all goes to fund research.”

Mueller also said that the funds also help send children to Santa Cruz-based Camp Harmon, designed for people with muscular dystrophy. The MDA serves 30 individuals in Napa that are afflicted with neuromuscular diseases. According to the MDA web site, more than 1 million Americans are affected by neuromuscular diseases and the organization covers 40 or more of the diseases, including muscular dystrophy, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), myasthenia gravis, spinal muscular atrophy and Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease.

“We thank everyone who donated,” Gilbert said.

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