The hit fundraiser Stop, Drop, Rock N' Roll was a huge success yet again this year for the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF). Held during the Fire Department Instructors Conference (FDIC) in Indianapolis, the event brought friends of the Foundation together for a night of music, auctioning, and celebration. The April 23 event was hosted by the Safety Components First Responders 911 Foundation at the Indian Roof Ballroom. "FDIC is the show of the year in fire fighting. We want Stop, Drop, Rock N' Roll to be the event at this show and the NFFF to be the benefactor of our work," said Joey Underwood, senior Vice President of Safety Components Fabric Technologies. Safety Components became a supporter of the NFFF in 2002 with the creation of the Safety Components First Responders 911 Foundation and has raised over $300,000 for the NFFF since then.

The night kicked off with the always reverent bagpipes and drums, followed by the Canadian band Full Turnout. According to the band's website, its music is reminiscent of bands such as Green Day and Spin Doctors. Full Turnout's performance was especially poignant because the members are all either fire service members or fire service family members.

The evening then took quite a turn as Foundation Board of Directors member Chief Billy Goldfeder and Chief Ron Kanterman took center stage. Goldfeder and Kanterman spearheaded the auction that brought in over $15,000 that night. Items auctioned off included gift baskets, a trip to Cancun and a bracelet from Tiffany's. Total funds raised during the event reached nearly $50,000.

All-female band Cowboy Crush infused the twang of Nashville into the event with a stunning performance that marked them as a crowd favorite and ended the night on an energetic note.

The night would not have been possible without the volunteer efforts of survivors and firefighters, who took on roles as venders, security and everything in-between. Survivor Tina Hauk of Hanna City, IL explained, "I think it was great for people to be able to put faces to the Foundation, to actually see the survivors there. It's been my honor to help with the Foundation - they gave me my life back."

Sponsors such as Safety Components, Scott Health & Safety, Lion Apparel, PBI Performance Products, Inc., Dupont, Fire Dex, FDIC, Motorola, Pennwell and The Art Group all made the evening even more enjoyable and successful.

Underwood stressed the importance of generating more exposure for next year's event. "We believe this is an excellent opportunity for companies to participate in a worthy cause, support those who support us, and provide a fun and entertaining evening for their associates and customers. Everyone wins," he said.

Look for details about the 2010 event at StopDropRocknRoll.com and the FDIC 2010 Program materials. Plans are already underway and have set the date for Thursday, May 22, 2010.

Related:

• Stop Drop Rock n Roll Website