Oklahoma Fire Departments Prepare For Annual Fill the Boot Campaign Over Labor Day Weekend

Metro firefighters will be out and about this weekend on street corners raising money for their national charity. 

The Fire Department wants to remind people they will never go door to door asking for money. 

The Midwest City Fire Department is gearing up for their annual fundraiser to raise money for Muscular Dystrophy. 

“We’ve been partnering with the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) for many, many decades, 30 plus years, and it has been a wonderful thing to give back,” said David Richardson, the Public Information Officer for the Midwest City Fire Department. 

This is a part of the national effort for departments across the nation. 

“This weekend is Labor Day weekend so that is traditionally the weekend we partner with MDA for the fill the boot campaign. The International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) has been a partner with the Fill the Boot campaign since 1954 and we raise funds through donations typically on street corners,” he said. 

To make sure they have firefighters on staff to answer calls, Midwest City Fire will rotate crews throughout popular intersections. 

“We will have different crews and we will put available units that have the ability to go to a corner and hit, usually a firefighter on each corner,” he said. 

Major Richardson said even though they go up against bigger departments in the country, Oklahoma is a top contributor. 

Their department alone brought in thousands over the holiday weekend. 

“For the metro I know the individual departments within the metro have our own donations ranks and stuff, but Oklahoma City is in the top 5, it is one of the biggest in the United States,” said Richardson. 

The Blanchard Fire Department is also getting out this weekend. 

People can expect to see their crew out on Saturday near Main Street and 62nd from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

The International Association of Fire Fighters has raised just under $70,000 so far this year.