The Michiana FOOLS Tailgate Party will take place this year on September 27th for the Notre Dame vs. Purdue Game. We hope to make this joint tailgate party with the Boiler FOOLS. Once again we will start with breakfast at 0800 and continue throughout the day with bagpipers, brats, hotdogs and refreshements. Mark your calenadars for this annual FOOLS event.

NILES BURN RUN CHOPPER RAFFLE www.nilesburnrun.com Custom Legends "Burn Run" Chopper Ticket Price $20.00 (only 2000 tickets sold) Winner of bike gets their own custom paint on top of the tank. Raffle will be held at the Niles Burn Run on July 20th, 2008. Winners not be present to win. If minimum amount of tickets are not sold, prize will be a 50/50 drawing. Proceeds go to the Great Lakes Burn Camp Email me at peterfister@sbcglobal.net or call 1-269-369-6823 To get info on how to get your raffle tickets.

The Michiana FOOLS 2008 Golf Outing has been scheduled for August 16th. This year's outing will take place at Bowlers Country Club at Pine & Fillmore right on the edge of Fillmore Heights. We will start at 0800hrs with a shot gun start (not to be confused with the other shooting in the area). We will try to have prizes/competitions for several of the holes in addtion to overall prizes. We are looking for hole sponsors at $75 a hole (includes advertising). In addition the $50 a person registration fee includes Refreshments on the course, Brats & Dogs at the 9th hole, cart, 18 holes of golf and a Ribeye lunch. We are limited to 18 Foursomes - Please register ASAP via email bkazmierzak@michianafools.com Money is due by August 1st, 2008 in order to ensure you will have a spot in the outing.

Mark your calendar's for the evening of September 24th, 2008 at 1800hrs. Elkhart Brass and Director of Interior/Government & Canadian Sales - Paul Albinger will host the Michiana FOOLS Meeting. Elkhart Brass will be providing dinner and soft drinks. We will have live demonstrations of their nozzles and valve products and will also be using their state of the art indoor nozzle testing factility. There will be T-Shirt and other giveaways. Please mark your calendar for this event and try to RSVP to bkazmierzak@michianafools.com so we can get a proper count for dinner that evening! This will be a fantastic learning opprotunity.

Here is the update for 2008 Lt. Jon Kimm Battle of the Badges: We had 251 people bowling (largest ever) We used 45 lanes (largest ever) We collected little over $7,100 (largest ever) after expenses (1,000 to the scholarship and the rest will go to Madison SOS) Trophy Winners (based on results turned in to me) Jason on Lane 31 with (856) Top Male Brittani on Lane 51 with (669) Top Female Drew Kimm on Lane 37 (623) Top Kids (Jon Kimm son) Lane 31 Top Team for Non fire team (Valerie, Jason, Michelle, Michael, Joey & Jamie) Lane 20 Top Fire Team from Niles City (Tamer, Rory, Jim, Scott, Denny & Chad) Thank you for making this event a success! Please let me know how we can make this event better! I am tentatively setting the Date for the 2009 Battle of the Badges for March 7th 2009. Please pass this information on to everyone on your teams!!! Thanks again from us and Madison Center SOS!!!

The Michiana FOOLS in conjunction with Porter, MI Emergency Services, the University of Notre Dame and the MABAS 201 Tactical Rescue Team are hosting a 64hr Rope & Confined Space Operations Course. Below are some pictures from this course an their Rope Practical Evolution inside the Joyce Center at the University of Notre Dame. One of the Guest Instructors for this Course with Firefighter Kelly Byrne, Washington DC Fire & EMS Rescue Squad 2 Member and 2007 Firehouse Heroism Award Winner, and newphew of Michiana FOOLS Member Terry Byrne.

This picture was sent by a friend that recently spotted Chief Billy Goldfeder wearing a Michiana FOOLS shirt while in San Diego, CA! Gotta love that free advertising! If you would like to be stylish like Billy shirts can be purchased from Brian Hester, Michiana FOOLS Merchandise Trustee. Information is below on the website.

New Michiana FOOLS Apparel is now availible. All shirts are green in color. T-Shirts have front and back screen printing. Windshirts have embroidered patch on the front only. Short Sleeve T-Shirts - $15.00 Long Sleeve T-Shirts - $20.00 Windshirts - $40.00 Shipping & Handling - $6.00

A fun time was had by all at the 5th Annual Michiana FOOLS Tailgate Party which was held Sept. 22nd in the JACC Lot at the Notre Dame vs. Michigan St. game! A special thanks to the Indy Pipes & Drums and Band of Brothers Bag Pipe Bands! Next years tailgate is 9/28/08 at the Notre Dame vs. Purdue Game!

The Michiana FOOLS Raft Team Comprised of Brian Kazmierzak, Tyler Heckaman, Jule Copenhaver and Barney Packard, Sr. took 1st Place over the South Bend Police Department Team at this years Stayin A Float Raft Race down the East Race Saturday. Suicide awareness event attracts wet officers, burly men SARAH MICHALOS Tribune Staff Writer SOUTH BEND -- Cpl. Chris Slager was messily knocked into the "Dunk a Cop" tank about 10 times in five minutes, but he doesn't mind. "The water's actually pretty nice," he said as he wiped water off of his glasses. "As long as Chris needs me, I'll be here." Slager was speaking of his co-worker, South Bend's Cpl. Chris Krueger. Krueger, with the help of friends, family and community members, held Saturday's "Stayin' Afloat" fundraiser for suicide prevention and awareness. "Chris is kind and fun-loving, one of the greatest guys out there," Slager said. "It takes a special kind of guy to do this." For the second year, this time at South Bend's Seitz Park near the East Race Waterway, Krueger organized the daylong event to remember his sister Amy, who committed suicide three years ago. The festival, which went from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., featured live bands and the first potentially annual Strong Man competition. Vying for the Strong Man title were nine area men, some law enforcement officials. South Bend Police Patrolman Paul Strabavy went home with the title after completing five grueling tasks, including pushing a city truck and carrying two 185-pound dumbbells across a hot parking lot. "I think it's kind of cool, I've never won anything like this before," the officer said while displaying his trophy, a muscular metal man grasping a dumbbell. "It's definitely very nice to be part of any kind of charity." The competitors were nearly given a challenge when South Bend Mayor Steve Luecke stopped by, but the local leader decided against jumping into the contest. "No, I'll give the other guys a chance," Luecke joked. "But I think this is for an important cause, it provides support for suicide awareness, and that's important for our community." Also supporting the cause was South Bend Police Patrolman Doug Masterson, who cruised down the East Race as part of the sponsored raft race. Masterson's was the first raft to kick off the races; he said he and his teammates worked well together. "Oh yeah, we won," he said. Masterson anticipates returning next year to be a part of the fun. "I probably will; if you're having a good time, it means you're going to do it again."