Firefighting students are putting their best foot forward in upcoming boot drive

If you see firefighters fully suited in bunker gear on campus this week, don’t panic. It’s the pre-service firefighting students conducting their annual boot drive.

The boot drive raises money for the Students’ Association Food Cupboard.

Pre-service firefighting students will be suited up in their full bunker gear with large firefighting boots in hand to collect donations all over campus.

Cheryl Hardwick, the head instructor of the pre-service firefighting and training program, is the mastermind behind this fundraiser.

“We used to have some students do some winter volunteering, and it became apparent that food insecurity was one of the most common problems with students. It’s expensive to go to school, so we added the boot drive as a pre-Christmas feel-good event,” she said.

The students are also excited to get started with the fundraiser. Pre-firefighting students Oliver Lea, Joe Power and Max von Althen expressed their enthusiasm for the fundraising initiative.

“It’s a great way to get out into the community and help in any way we can and make some connections,” said Lea.

“I think it’s a super honourable thing and we love charities,” said Power.

The platoons of students have a friendly competition to see who can bring in the most donations. There are four platoons: A,B,C and D.

“Usually, the winning platoon gets doughnuts as a prize,” said Hardwick.

Lea, Power and von Althen are all in platoon B, and they are ready to take home the win and the doughnuts.

“It’s good we have a little inner squad competition going. Platoon B is going to take home the win this year,” said von Althen.

The pre-firefighting students are equally excited to show off their bunker gear to the campus after training vigorously with it in P-building for months.

“Anytime we get to wear the gear it is a privilege,” said Lea.

“We have fresh new name tags on our helmets just for this,” said von Althen.

The boot drive is happening from 12 p.m. until 1 p.m. each day between Nov. 26 and Nov. 28.