Taking donations over two days, the 2026 Fill the Boot effort by the Escalon Fire Department raised over $23,000 for the Firefighters Burn Institute.

Coordinating this year’s effort was firefighter Dylan Criteser, who reported a good turnout of volunteers both Saturday and Sunday, April 25 and 26. Money goes to the Sacramento-based institute, helping support educational programs and assistance for burn victims.

“It was mostly volunteers,” Criteser said of the personnel helping out with the collection.

Firefighters are armed with their turnout boots during the Fill the Boot campaign and in Escalon, utilize the main intersection of McHenry Avenue-Highway 120-Escalon-Bellota Road to set up. When traffic is stopped for the signal lights, the firefighters seek donations in their turnout boots; those giving to the effort are provided with an informational flyer and can post that on their dashboard so they aren’t approached again if they drive through the intersection at a later time.

Criteser said the collection ran from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 25 and went from 8:30 a.m. to about 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, April 26.

“We tried to avoid the rain,” Criteser said, though there were a few raindrops and overcast skies for much of the day on Sunday.

Along with Criteser, paid department personnel working the event included Battalion Chiefs Joe Pelot and Moe Silva.

Altogether, there were well over a dozen volunteers working shifts during the weekend Fill the Boot, including a few that worked both days.

“We raised a little over $23,000 without counting in the change,” Criteser said.