Firefighters will be braving the cold weather once again as the annual Rooftop Campout is set to take to the fresh air starting Sunday morning. It’s a frosty job but someone’s got to do it in order to help those with muscular dystrophy.
“We go up there and basically 96 hours later we come down wind-burned, exhausted and mildly hypothermic,” joked St. Albert Fire Services event spokesman Andrew Pearson.
They also come down with the satisfaction of helping to save even more lives than they do during their regular duties.
The annual four-day campaign kicks off tomorrow at 9 a.m. It will see four firefighters take to the roof with others helping to attract attention and flag passersby into the driveway to put some donations into the boot. They wrap things up on March 4 at 4 p.m.
The wintry weather can be a bit of a challenge, however. In the past, cold snaps have pushed these hardy souls to endure temperatures of -40 C. That’s one of the reasons why they’ve moved it to March from February.
“We’ve changed some things up a bit. Last year, I think we hit -36 C with the windchill on our first night. It was challenging to put it mildly.”
This year’s campaign goal is to raise $40,000 with all proceeds set to go toward improving the quality of life for people with neuromuscular disorders by purchasing mobility equipment, providing support services and funding research toward a cure.
“In the past, we’ve always beaten our expectations and goals. We always have challenges every year but, with that being said, the community does such an awesome job – along with the city – of helping us to reach our goal that we always meet and exceed it.”
Last year’s goal of $40,000 was beaten handily. They raised $50,000.
They started things off already this year with a boot drive at the Inglewood Safeway location last month, and firefighters volunteered to be wait staff at East Side Mario’s for a night with tips going to the boot too. Those two events have already helped them to net approximately $8,000 for the cause.
He praised those businesses for being such stalwart supporters of the campaign over the five years that the St. Albert firefighters have been participating in this nationwide event. There is always room for other private and corporate donors too, he noted.
A silent auction that runs online from March 1 to 27 already has a few dozen items already on the block. It runs online starting Sunday and running until March 27 at 4 p.m. Members of the public can view and bid on items at www.stalbertfirefighters.com. Items will also be on display at Fire Station #3, 100 Giroux Road during the auction. Bids can be placed at [email protected].
Pearson is confident that he and his three colleagues will persevere through the exposure and the physical challenges of the campout. It’s a good lesson for everyone to be reminded of how muscular dystrophy affects people.
“This is my third year doing it and I like to think that the austerity and the adversity that we have to experience helps to keep us mindful of what someone with MD has to deal with on a daily basis. The discomfort and challenges that we put up with over four days is nothing compared to what people who are affected with this horrible disease along with their families go through every day.”
