Marin Professional Firefighters "Fill The Boot" for Muscular Dystrophy Association in Marin County April 25 and April 28, 2013
Dozens of Firefighters from Marin Professional Firefighters, IAFF Local 1775 (www.iaff1775.org) will generously volunteer their time for the annual Muscular Dystrophy Association “Fill the Boot” event at five intersections in Marin County April 25 and 28, 2013. Off-duty firefighters will ask motorists and pedestrians alike to drop donations into a firefighter’s boot to support MDA’s Bay Area children and families Thursday, April 25 from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. (and in Sausalito and Tiburon Sunday, April 28).
Marin Professional Firefighters, IAFF Local 1775 represents more than 400 professional firefighters in Marin County and each year takes part in a county-wide effort to raise funds to support the vital health care services MDA provides to Bay Area families affected by muscle disease. Local 1775’s firefighters raised $44,500 for MDA in 2013, an all-time record for Marin.
The International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF, www.iaff.org) represents 300,000 professional firefighters in the US and Canada, and is one of MDA’s longest running partners in the fight against muscle disease. “Fill the Boot” fundraising drives are the primary means by which the IAFF has raised almost $300 million for MDA since 1954.
The Muscular Dystrophy Association helps children and adults who are affected by over 43 different types of neuromuscular diseases. Fill the Boot funds support MDA’s services locally and nationally, including over 200 hospital-affiliated medical clinics staffed with specialists in neuromuscular disease and special summer camps for kids. Funds raised in Marin are used to directly assist families dealing with neuromuscular diseases in the Bay Area.
Local clinics and camps benefiting from Fill the Boot funds include clinics at UCSF, California Pacific Medical Center, and Stanford. A weeklong summer camp for children with muscle disease is held each summer in the Sonoma Coastal Redwoods at Camp Westminster Woods.
MDA also funds innovative worldwide research and assists clients with the purchase durable equipment such as wheelchairs, leg braces, and other medical equipment. For more about MDA, visit www.mda.org.
For more information, Breanna Buchanan, Local 1775’s MDA Coordinator ( This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ), or Tina Burgelman, MDA San Francisco Executive Director at or by email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
Thursday, April 25 "Fill The Boot" Locations:
- Mill Valley - Camino Alto at East Blithedale
- San Anselmo - Sir Francis Drake Blvd at Red Hill Ave ("The Hub")
- San Rafael - Grand Ave at Third Street
Sunday, April 28 "Fill The Boot" Locations:
- Sausalito - Bridgeway at Princess Street
- Tiburon - Tiburon Blvd at Main Street
IAFF Celebrates 95th Anniversary
February 28, 2013 – The IAFF is celebrating 95 years of uniting fire fighters and paramedics to protect and enhance wages, benefits and working conditions, while providing better services to their communities. For nearly a century, the IAFF has been a leader in advancements that have changed the fire service and the lives of its members. From the coats on their back to the hours worked, this union has always been on the frontline.
The IAFF was formed in 1918 at a time when fire fighters worked seven days a week, had few benefits and safety meant putting a wet towel over their face before running into flames. By uniting fire fighters, this union became the voice of fire fighters and paramedics across the United States and Canada.
Marin Firefighters Raise Record $44,500 for MDA
The Muscular Dystrophy Association of San Francisco needed a little lift and got it last week when Ross Valley and Marin County firefighters chipped in with a significant donation to the group’s “Fill The Boot” campaign.
During two 4-hour time slots last week soliciting at the Hub in San Anselmo, the firefighters were able to raise $7,315 bringing the group’s grand total to more than $40,000 for the 2012 fundraising season.
“Our success is due to the wonderful travelers and residents of Marin County,” said Bob Briare, president of the Marin Professional Firefighters, Local 1775, International Association of Firefighters. “On behalf of our firefighters, we thank all of you who contributed to MDA “Fill the Boot.”
Governor Announces Historic Pension Rollbacks
Agreement with Legislature Imposes Lower Tier for New Hires, Pension Salary Cap, Phased-in Mandatory Cost Sharing
At a news conference in Los Angeles, Gov. Jerry Brown announced an agreement that will take public employee retirement security back to the Reagan years.
The plan – hashed out with legislative leaders behind closed doors – imposes a range of rollbacks, all without the benefit of collective bargaining.
- New lower tier for almost all employees – local, state, teachers, the works. Public safety retirement would top out at 2.7% at 57;
- A cap on pensionable income -- $110,000 for those who pay Social Security; $130,000 for those who don’t.
- Mandatory cost sharing immediately, for all new employees, and by 2018, for current employees;
- Three-year final compensation averaging;
- Limits on pensionable compensation, airtime purchases, pension holidays and retroactivity.
Marin Firefighters Raise $35,450 for MDA
Marin Professional Firefighters Raised $35,450 for the Muscular Dystrophy Association through our 2012 Fill the Boot campaign!
Thank you to all the Marin Firefighters who helped make this a record year! With your help we raised 10% more than 2011, and a record number of Firefighters participated.
Thank you to Bob Briare, President, Marin Professional Firefighters, Breanna Buchanan, MDA Coordinator, Chris, Dennis, Geoff, Jason, Jesse, Jonnie, Manny, Mark, Matt, Rick, and Sloane for coordinating Marin's most successful Fill the Boot!
