Firefighters kick off fundraiser

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This article was published 05/03/2025 (247 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Four Brandon firefighters checked in to their rooftop accommodations Tuesday morning on top of No. 2 firehall, bracing for four days and three nights of wind chills and flurries.

When asked the reason why, nine-year firefighter Kyle Martin said “there are 40,000 reasons why.”

“We’re doing it for the folks with cerebral palsy, the people with muscular dystrophy and all the other ones we can help with the Brandon firefighter charity fund,” Martin said.

“This is the 10th year we’ve done our rooftop campout and boot drive, and last year we were really, really close, about $500 shy of our goal. But with a lot of community support, we’re hoping to hit $40,000,” said Martin, who is also the event organizer.

The two-part fundraising campaign kicked off Tuesday outside No. 2 firehall at 1301 13th St. Members of Brandon Fire and Emergency Services (BFES) took donations from drivers who slowed down in front of the hall to toss money into the boot.

Over the next two and a half days, the boot drive will also be set up at various intersections throughout the city. The boot drive and the rooftop campout campaign will end Friday afternoon.

Sharing the first boot shift Tuesday morning were BFES firefighters Corbin Mariash and Travis Tannas. They, along with Martin and Tannas’s brother Matthew, are the four who volunteered for the campout.

“We never have a shortage of volunteers for the boot drive. Some come in early before their shift or stay a bit longer at the end of their shift, with more people coming out in the early evening time slot,” said Martin.

Firefighters across Canada have been partners and supporters of Muscular Dystrophy Canada (MDC) and Canadians affected by neuromuscular disorders for 70 years, since 1954. More than 600 fire departments and associations across the country raise more than $3 million each year, according to MDC website.

This will be the 10th year of the rooftop campout for the Brandon Firefighters. It was interrupted because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and even though there were no fundraising events from 2020 to 2023, Martin estimated, “we’ve raised just over $300,000 over the years.”

It was in 2017 when the local firefighters decided to collect donations for muscular dystrophy, the Cerebral Palsy Association of Manitoba and the Brandon Firefighters Charity Fund to make it a tri-charity campout.

Funds raised have helped purchase motorized wheelchairs, custom orthotics, leg braces, wheelchair ramps and additional medical equipment, said Martin.

“I just heard today about a shower chair that costs $7,000 that folks are trying to pay for, so that’s why we do this. It’s phenomenal being able to help people when they wouldn’t be able to afford basic things they need — just to have a shower,” Martin said.

The firefighters’ fundraiser values folks with disabilities, said David Kron, the executive director with the Cerebral Palsy Association of Manitoba.

The money raised will boost Westman chapter’s annual budget of $45,000 that helps pay for its many community projects and programs, including helping people purchase a manual wheelchair, a seating system if required, an iPad to communicate, and a post-secondary scholarship.

“We’ve helped pay for adaptable pieces for school playgrounds, and we put in the power door openers at the Keystone Centre so our members can go to and see a Wheat Kings game,” said Kron.

“We try to pay for the things we know that government will never pay for, all those little things that makes life just a little bit easier. We’re just so honoured to be a part of the firefighters’ campout,” Kron said.

As Travis Tannas waved to his older brother Matthew — who was already on the roof and organizing the camping area, he said they both feel the same way about helping others.

“This is an amazing opportunity for us to not only get out and be seen in the community, but it shines a light on firefighters and our personalities,” said Tannas. “We’re here to serve and to help others, and this is a good way for us to extend that to the organizations we support.”

After an expected overnight low of -21 C Tuesday night, the forecast for Wednesday, Thursday and the last day of camping on Friday, is calling for possible light snow and temperatures ranging from -5 C to -11 C, plus wind chills.

But Martin said it won’t make any difference.

“I think it’s something that’s in the firefighter DNA, we’re expecting winter camping, and we’re used to answering the call for the community,” said Martin.

“Whether we’re at work or on our days off, you’re still a firefighter. Sometimes you have to go a little bit above and beyond, and that’s what we’re here for.”

» mmcdougall@brandonsun.com

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