By Helen Borland  / Staff

What could be worse than having your house burn down?

Being caught inside -- or having loved ones inside -- a burning structure that suffer from being burned.

The goal of the Georgia Firefighters Burn Foundation (GFBF) is "to help burn survivors in their journey of recovery as well as to prevent others from experiencing the traumatic event of a burn injury." GFBF's primary source of funding is their annual "Give Burns the Boot"®campaign. More than 100 fire departments throughout the US join together to collect funds to benefit GFBF's mission and programs.

The Roswell Fire Department goes above and beyond the call of duty for this fundraiser. They conduct two "Boot Drives" each year, one in the spring and one in the fall. This year the Roswell Boot Drive will be held for four days, dependant weather and staffing. The firefighters that stand on the street corners collecting your donations perform the service on their own time.

BOOT CASH

So what happens with all the money that's collected? GFBF partners with the fire service and burn care communities to provide fire safety and prevention education. They also support medical facilities and assist burn survivors in their recovery, such as burn survivor family events and support groups. Georgia is only one of three states in the nation to administer "Children After the Fire," an innovative program that addresses the needs of children traumatized by residential fires. Community partners include local fire departments, the American Red Cross, and schools.

Fire departments that participate in the Boot Drive receive 10 percent of the collected funds that are used for fire safety and burn prevention programs in their communities. Last year Roswell drivers donated over $59,000 from their car windows. This generosity put Roswell in first place in money collected per capita and third place for overall money collected in the entire state of Georgia.

The goal this year of the Roswell Fire Department is to collect $100,000. Asst. Fire Chief and Fire Marshal Paul Picirrilli said, "It will take a lot of effort, but it will be worth it to know that we are contributing to a great organization that not only helps the community as a whole, but also firefighters who may face the same type of injury."

Contact Helen Borland at hborland@beaconcast.net.