Fighting more than fires: DFD fill boots with bucks for muscular dystrophy

Jackie Jahfetson, The Dickinson Press, N.D.
·2 min read

Jun. 25—For more than 67 years, firefighters across the country have been taking off a boot to help raise awareness for muscular dystrophy — an event aptly named Fill the Boot. What started back in the 1950s in Massachusetts has spread across the country from major metropolitans to rural fire departments.

Firefighters from the Dickinson Fire Department were spotted around town holding their iconic firemen's rubber boots in honor of Fill the Boot on Thursday, June 24, outside Walmart and during the First on First Dickinson Summer Nights Concert Series.

Dickinson firefighter Michael Roy noted that this case has been integral for the fire department since it first launched and it raises approximately $5,000 each year.

"The money we raised is used for funding new treatments. Just in the last year, three promising new drugs received FDA approval for people with muscular dystrophy," Roy said. "It also supports MDA care centers, giving families access to doctors and specialists without having to travel long distances. And then it sends kids to MDA camp every year. About every year they sponsor about 3,800 kids for MDA Summer Camp."

Back in 1954, the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) Fill the Boot campaign began in Boston, according to the Fill the Boot website. A member from Boston Fire Fighters Local 718 IAFF had a friend who had two sons that were diagnosed with Duchenne's muscular dystrophy. So he wanted to do something to help, and with the help of his ladder company, Fill the Boot was created.

Since then, Fill the Boot has raised more than $650 million to support care centers of the Muscular Dystrophy Association, as well as summer camps for children diagnosed with the disease, research and treatments.

"It's important to give back to people with this disease that maybe can't afford the best treatments and just in the spirit of giving back to the community and helping others, that's what firefighters do," Roy added.

For more information on the Muscular Dystrophy Association or to donate, visit mda.org.