From Feb. 4 to Feb. 7, more than 270 firefighters and volunteers participated in the 32nd Fill the Boot for Burns fundraiser in conjunction with National Burn Awareness Week. Photo courtesy of Hansen Kwok

SACRAMENTO REGION, CA (MPG) – For four days, from Wednesday Feb. 4 to Saturday Feb. 7, more than 270 firefighters and other volunteers from throughout Sacramento County and beyond arrived at the corner of Sunrise Boulevard and Greenback Lane in Citrus Heights to participate in the 32nd Fill the Boot for Burns fundraiser in conjunction with National Burn Awareness Week.

Twenty-two fire departments and agencies took part in the event, including the ever-popular Safety Fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Feb. 7 with fire department displays, interactive exhibits and interactions with first responders.

According to Rachel Crowell, Deputy Director of the Firefighters Burn Institute, over $185,0000 was raised by local firefighters dressed in their familiar yellow striped jackets and helmets, carrying their boots, ready to collect passing driver’s and pedestrian’s dollars and spare change for the cause.

Donations are used to improve burn treatment and to fund life-altering burn recovery programs including Firefighters Kids Camp for young burn survivors ages 6 to 17, and the Little Heroes Preschool Burn Camp for children ages 1 to 6 years and their families.

Saturday’s demonstrations in the Sunrise Mall parking lot included the popular Jaws of Life (also known as a cutter and spreader) vehicle extrication demonstration, fire engines and fire trucks to educate families and opportunities for kids to explore, including the Fire Safety Simulator.

During the extrication, firefighter and Firefighters Burn Institute (FFBI) member Ryan Hatfield along with the Sacramento Fire Department interacted with young onlookers asking and answering questions and bringing up a lot of smiles.

Ryan Hatfield, half of the Basket Sitters team, came down from the fire tower only for the safety fair. During the vehicle extrication demonstration, he visited with the young onlookers. Photo by Elise Spleiss

Hatfield is the other half of the Ryan “Basket Sitters” team. He and Ryan Erazo with Sac Metro Fire sat in the fire tower for four days, coming out only for the safety fair.

At one point during the extrication a voice was heard asking Hatfield, “What would you tell these kids (who might be aspiring firefighters)?”

The answer was, “Go to school, listen to your parents and eat your veggies.”

Volunteers at the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) truck told attendees about volunteer opportunities. After training in basic disaster preparedness and response skills such as fire safety, light search and rescue assist when professional responders are overwhelmed, these volunteers also attend community events and participate in community outreach.

Pat Stanley, a volunteer for 30 years brings his vintage 1956 California Department of Forestry (CDF) fire truck originally from Glen Ellen to the safety fair every year to teach the public fire history.

Stanley has his firefighting tools out and “the kids like to sit it truck and ‘drive.’”

Stanley volunteers with his truck and education every year at Camp Smoky, a village at the California State Fair. 

Another family favorite was the landing and take-off of the bright red and white Metro Fire helicopter. Families gathered around for a closeup of this impressive machine usually only seen high in the sky. When warned to hold on to their hats, shortly after takeoff the headwind which can reach up to 40 mph raised the excitement and sent a few scrambling after those hats.

Firefighters sit atop their firetruck at the Fill the Boot fundraiser as part of their displays and interactive exhibits for children and event attendees. Photo courtesy of Hansen Kwok

Fire Fighters Burn Institute (FFBI) is one of over 70 fire agencies throughout Northern and Central California to support burn programs and the regional burn center.

The Fire Fighters Burn Institute (FFBI) was brought about in response to a 1972 accident.

“In 1972, a jet airplane attempting to take off from an air show at the Sacramento Executive Airport, crashed into a crowded Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlor, killing 23 people and burning many others. A Sacramento firefighter, Gene LaVine, and eight members of his family died in the fiery crash. In 1972 there was no specialized care for burn victims. Shortly after the disaster Sacramento Fire Department Captain Cliff Haskell convinced the Sacramento Area Fire Fighters Local 522 to allow him to begin work establishing a specialized burn unit for the area. Haskell’s initial fundraising campaigns formed the FFBI in December 1973.”

Shortly after its founding, Firefighters Burn Institute (FFBI) collaborated with physicians and administration at the University of California Davis Medical Center (UCDMC) to open the UCDMC Regional Burn Center in January of 1974.

Over the years, Firefighters Burn Institute (FFBI) has expanded its mission to include burn research, public education, fire and burn prevention and burn recovery for survivors and their families, which extends far beyond the firefighting community to all burn survivors.

“If it wasn’t for Captain Cliff Haskell and the support of his wife, Tillie Haskell, there would not be definitive burn care in the Sacramento area”.

A big thank you to all the event sponsors.

Another family favorite of the event was the landing and take-off of the bright red and white Metro Fire helicopter. Photo courtesy of Hansen Kwok

For information contact the Firefighters Burn Institute at 916-739-8525 or visit www.ffburn.org.