"Boot drops" can be a great way for fire departments to raise a little cash, but Lansford Borough Council has concerns about the safety and legality of the fundraiser.

At their meeting Wednesday night, council members said they were not pleased to see that American Fire Company No. 1 had held a boot drop fundraiser - where they stand at an intersection and solicit donations - on borough streets over the weekend."Boot drops are against the law," said councilman Thomas Vadyak, a 41-year-member of the fire department.The state does have a law on the books that prohibits any pedestrian from standing on roadways to solicit donations. Despite that, it remains a popular fundraiser for firefighters, nonprofits and community groups.In the past, American fire company has asked to hold boot drop fundraisers, councilwoman Rosemary Cannon said, but this time they did not make any request to the borough.There were no representatives from the fire department at Wednesday's meeting.There is a legal concern, as the department is covered under the borough's workers' compensation policy. But Vadyak said that was not the reason he was upset about the fundraiser."First and foremost I am looking out for their well-being," he said.But others pointed out that if the borough didn't sanction the fundraiser, then they would not be liable if a volunteer was injured."If someone was injured, they would have to cover their hospital bills," Vadyak said. "For the money they got, I hope it was worth it."Council also discussed bringing on a high school student from the borough as a junior council member. They agreed that the student's school does not matter, as long as they are a borough resident."It's a good program. It introduces them to local government, and it may get others involved," Cannon said.Council also agreed to apply for grant money from the county's Local Share Account grant program - which takes a portion of the tax revenue from area casinos and makes it available for local projects.They hope to use the money to fund a portion of a proposed new borough garage.