Area firefighters dodged heavy Black Friday traffic with boots in their hands and a simple mission — to get passers-by to spare some change.

Organized by the Cherokee County Fire Chiefs Association, the boot drive set out to raise funds for the association’s fire safety team, a team of volunteers that go out to every school in Cherokee County to impart safety messages about fire and severe weather.

Altogether, the boot drive raised about $1,750 for the safety program, said Josh Parker, president of the chiefs association and chief of the Buffalo Volunteer Fire Department. The money will be spent in various ways, from purchasing educational coloring books to the upkeep of the safety team’s mobile classroom, which team members use to teach children about important issues such as how to escape from a burning home.

The safety team needs about $2,500 a year to operate, Parker said, and the Black Friday boot drive raised enough funds to cover more than half of the team’s expenses for the upcoming year.

Parker said the participating firefighters all were grateful to all the people who dug into their pockets to lend a hand.

The reason for the fund drive and the safety team’s mission are the same. “It’s all about saving lives,” Parker said.

While fire-related deaths have been rare in recent years, the two fatal fires Cherokee County has experienced since 2007 are “two too many,” Parker said.

Firefighters from Grassy Pond, Cherokee Creek, Antioch, and Blacksburg participated in the boot drive at major intersections around Cherokee County, including at the Wal-Mart on West Floyd Baker Boulevard, the Prime- Outlets — Gaffney, and in downtown Blacksburg.

More than 4,000 children went through the association’s safety trailer during visits to area schools between September and early November.