ELK GROVE, CA (MPG) - Firefighters, interns and volunteers with the Cosumnes Fire Department returned May 2 to the intersection of Laguna Boulevard and Bruceville Road for their annual “Fill the Boot for Burns” charity event, collecting donations from drivers stopped at the light in support of burn victims.

About 50 to 75 participants staffed all four corners of the intersection, wearing firefighter jackets or yellow-striped volunteer gear with helmets. The event ran from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and, for the second year, also drew community members who displayed their classic cars on one side of the intersection as donations were collected.

According to the Cosumnes Community Services District, the department has helped to raise nearly $700,000 over its 21 years of participation in the boot drive. Funds support burn survivors and their families through the Firefighters Burn Institute.

The regional drive is held by dozens of fire agencies across Northern and Central California, funding treatment and long-term recovery programs, including Firefighters Kids Camp and Little Heroes Family Burn Camp for young burn survivors.

Volunteer Ernie Rice attended the event to share information about the nonprofit’s mission and resources.

 

A Cosumnes firefighter extends his boot for a donation from a passing driver on Bruceville Road on May 2. 

He said the organization was founded more than 50 years ago after a 1972 tragedy in which a jet attempting to take off from Sacramento Executive Airport crashed into a crowded ice cream parlor, killing 22 people and leaving others with severe burns. The incident underscored the need for a local specialized burn unit.

Sacramento City Fire Capt. Cliff Haskell later established the institute, which partnered with UC Davis Medical Center to open a regional burn center in 1974. Since then, the organization has expanded to include burn research, fire and burn prevention and recovery support for survivors and their families.

Rice said the fundraiser allows residents to show support while giving firefighters a chance to connect with the community outside of emergency situations.

“In my opinion, they (firefighters) get to see and get involved in the worst of the world. They’re there while the destruction is being done and people are being injured…” he said. “And helping this organization helps with the front end, rehabilitation, and aftercare at that end of it, and it’s their way of giving back.”

He added that 94 cents of every dollar raised goes directly to programs, supported by the volunteers who have helped hundreds of families over the years. Rice, a family member of a burn survivor, said the drive has made a meaningful difference in sustaining its programs.

 

Firefighters Burn Institute volunteer Ernie Rice holds a child-sized firefighter helmet at the booth during the May 2 “Fill the Boot for Burns” drive put on by the Cosumnes Fire Department at Laguna Boulevard and Bruceville Road. 

Cosumnes Firefighter Manuel Carter, who helps organize the local effort with firefighter-paramedic Eric Jackson, said that community support extended beyond the donations at the intersection. 

Several local businesses, including Dos Coyotes Border Cafe, Chevys, Jacks Urban Eats, Crumbl Cookie, Beach Hut Deli, Peace Coffee, Costco, Nugget and Safeway, contributed food or gift cards for volunteers. Others, including Sacramento-area attorney Ann Phoong and California Truck Specialties of Rocklin, pledged to match donations.

“At the time, no one here is on the clock. We’re all off the clock on our free day, on our free time,” Carter said.

The largest total raised in a single year has been $46,000, Carter said, adding that this year’s goal was to top that with $50,000. He said expanding the event to include car clubs has helped to create a stronger community atmosphere, with plans to add food trucks and other activities in the future.

Carter, a member of Dropz Car Club himself, said this marked the second-year car clubs were invited to participate. Vehicles lined Laguna Boulevard in front of Walgreens, with groups including Elk Grove Cars and Coffee and Dropz Car Club taking part.

 

Car clubs Elk Grove Cars and Coffee and Dropz Car Club lined up their vehicles along Laguna Boulevard, near Walgreens, during the “Fill the Boot for Burns” drive on May 2.