The Fayette County Department of Fire and Emergency Services and the Fayetteville Fire Department are joining ranks with more than 100 other fire departments from throughout the state by participating in the tenth annual “Give Burns the Boot” drive, benefiting the Georgia Firefighters Burn Foundation, June 24-26.

Capt. Jimmy Hall of the county department and Capt. Linda Partridge of the Fayetteville FD are chairing the county's efforts.

During the three-day drive, local firefighters will be asking area residents for donations. According to Burn Foundation executive director Lynn Naylor, many different programs are sponsored with the funds collected from the Boot Drive.

The foundation is a nonprofit organization whose threefold mission is to educate the public in burn awareness and prevention, support medical facilities in the care of burns in Georgia, and assist burn survivors in their recovery.

Among the activities made possible by proceeds from the Boot Drive is “Camp Oo-U-La,” the only camp in Georgia strictly for burn-injured children. The foundation also sponsors a special high school curriculum called “Challenge for Life,” designed to teach fire safety and burn prevention in situations that teens will come in contact with, such as electricity, cooking, babysitting and mechanics.

“We at the Fayette County Department of Fire and Emergency Services and the Fayetteville Fire Department are proud to be part of this worthwhile fundraising project, and we encourage all local residents to support this cause as much as they possibly can,” said Hall and Partridge in a recent press release.