It's a big deal any time you see firefighters saving lives on a roof. It's just a little bit out of the ordinary when those firefighters are on their own roof and there's no fire, just tents and coffee.
On Tuesday, seven of St. Albert's finest climbed to the top of fire station No. 2 as they embarked on a three-day adventure to raise money and awareness for muscular dystrophy research. It's a new extension of a long-standing tradition of firefighters helping out the cause.
Scott Wilde, the president of the St. Albert Firefighters Union Local 2130 and also one of the team members supporting the event, said the vast community of North American firefighters feels like a big family. That's why muscular dystrophy has been the cause of choice since the mid-1950s when a Boston firefighter raised money for a friend had two sons with the muscle wasting disease.
"Our union is strong. There's 270,000 firefighters across North America and they all pitch in," Wilde said.
Spirits were riding high after the kickoff as the rooftop tent dwellers had doughnuts and coffee and board games to occupy their attention. Occasional passersby would honk their support. When that wasn't enough to warm their hearts they had extra supplies of hand warmers to help out.
"Every time the horn blows, we've achieved our goal. It's about awareness."
Over the decades, more than $270 million has been raised for medical research.
The campout has had a pretty good showing in Edmonton for the last few years. Crews in St. Albert tried to set something up last year but started organizing a little bit late to get it off the ground.
This year, dispatcher Kathi Sheedy made a mission out of the task after she met two young boys from the Gatt family of Cardiff. She's excited that things are already well on their way.
The goal of this campaign is already at 60 per cent of its $15,000 goal thanks to a few successful drives, including an evening at East Side Mario's. Several firefighters served restaurant patrons last Wednesday and all tips collected were put in a jar. According to Sheedy, only one glass of red wine was spilled on a diner.
Dinner for auction
She's also enthusiastic about the auction item of a dinner for eight provided by members of St. Albert Fire & EMS. You get to choose the menu and it comes with wine and dessert plus a ride in a big red limo, including chauffeur.
"Everybody wants to have dinner with firefighters. They're great cooks! They know how to play with fire and they know how to put it out too," she enthused.
The Muscular Dystrophy Campout goes on until noon on Friday, Feb. 25 at fire station No. 2, located at 100 Boudreau Rd. next to the St. Albert RCMP detachment. Motorists are encouraged to stop in and make a personal donation.
To learn more about the disease or pledge online, visit www.muscle.ca and search for 'St. Albert Fire Fighters Campout.' There you can also bid on the dinner that stood at $152.50 as of yesterday.
Supporters can also make a $5 donation by texting the word MUSCLE to '30333'.
