COEUR d'ALENE — In the good old days of "Fill the Boot," firefighters stood in streets, sometimes right smack under stoplights in the road, as traffic buzzed by.

But Friday morning, Coeur d'Alene firefighters were off the pavement as they held boots to raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

There's a reason for that, said Josh Sutherland, a firefighter. In years past, occasionally, a firefighter somewhere would get clipped by a vehicle.

"You stand in the street long enough, it happens," he said.

So they moved to safer ground.

Sutherland was joined by fellow firefighters Kelan McKeirnan and Trenton Fleury on Dalton Avenue outside Anchored Coffee near U.S. 95 on a cool afternoon.

Some drivers pulled over and tossed a few bucks in the boot.

"Thanks for all you do," one man said to the firefighters.

Fleury, new to the department, was doing brisk business on the south side of the street. He attributed that to the turnout gear he was wearing — helmet, boots, suspenders and pants.

"Gotta go for it," he said, smiling as he trotted over to another car, with a passenger handing over a handful of dollar bills.

Coeur d'Alene firefighters Local 710 partnered with Anchored Coffee for the annual campaign to benefit MDA.

They stood outside three drive-thru locations on Dalton and Neider avenues, and Ironwood Drive for most of the day.

Sutherland said while it's safer being out of the street, donations are a bit down as a result.

"Our totals take a hit from that. We're not knocking on people's windows," he added, laughing.

"We hijacked them of their change," joked Kelan McKeirnan.

Off-duty firefighters showed up throughout the day to take turns collecting coins, cash and conversing with donors.

"When you can pitch in, you pitch in," Sutherland said.

But for rookies like Fleury, it's unofficially mandatory.

"When you're new, you always have to help out," Sutherland said.